My name is Anton Usanov, I am the curator of the JUMP Contemporary Art Center in Poltava (Ukraine). I’ve been working in the contemporary art scene for the past 8 years. My experience includes managing an institution, organizing exhibition projects, residencies, conferences, etc. I collaborated with such prominent Ukrainian artists as Nikita Kadan, Lada Nakonechna, Vlada Ralko, Vita Buivid, Nazar Bilyk, Hamlet Zinkivskyi, Yuriy Leidreman, Yura Shapoval, and others.

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I consider my greatest achievements to be my curatorial trilogy project and the book about Poltava informal art of the 90s "DuSt: Informal Art of Poltava 90s" and the project with Nikita Kadan "Garden after the Gods" about the artist Ivan Myasoedov and the reinterpretation of ancient myths.

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In my curatorial practice, I turn to local stories and local features of global projects, processes, and phenomena. I believe that the contradictions with global trends can be seen in the provincial small stories of art, where you can see the real story and get along with people. In this aspect, I pay special attention to the social function of various artistic practices, which is able to build communities for reflection on a wide range of issues. I am interested in institutional criticism and the possibility of revealing all the participants without whom the art system would not work.

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Working as a curator of a contemporary art center in a provincial city, I begin to deal with issues of the periphery and its role in the working mechanisms of global capitalism. I introduce a dialogue between the traditions and principles of local business and a peculiar line of art history.

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A lot of my thoughts and projects appeared from dialogues with my partner Shaza Musa. Check out her website here.