Civilian and critical infrastructure is being destroyed throughout the country, which is a consistent strategy of Russia in its war against the people of Ukraine. Electricity, water, heat, and communication are the basic resources that ensure our daily life. After their destruction, it is necessary to rely not on the centralized supply of these resources, but on their independent production.

 

Like most industries of human activity - art also depends on working infrastructure for its support. Most often, the presentation of a work of art in a museum or public space requires heating, proper light, and the ability to read the accompanying text. Ideal exhibition space is a complex infrastructural space in which a number of working systems are provided: lighting, air conditioning, temperature control, electricity, etc. In a blackout situation, the exhibition space loses its qualities and becomes a place where there are no proper conditions for presenting artistic work.

 

New conditions require a rethinking of the artistic strategies themselves. Blackout art cannot rely on the existing infrastructure of the exhibition space and must include everything necessary for its representation in front of the audience. The works of artists should become autonomous in relation to space: sometimes have their own lighting, be mobile for convenient evacuation, and talk about the author and the idea of the work on their own if necessary.