(post-)System. Painting and photography on the boundary of control: a new group exhibition at the Mala Gallery of the Mystetskyi Arsenal

On November 20 at 6:00 PM, we invite you to the opening of the Flemish-Ukrainian group exhibition project (post-)System, curated by Jan Van Woensel. The exhibition will feature paintings and photographs by 13 artists from Ukraine, Belgium, and the Czech Republic — works exploring various manifestations of control in art, from the overt to the subtle.

This exhibition at the Mala Gallery is the third iteration of (post-)System. The first two were held this year in Belgium and the Czech Republic.

In the spring of 2000, Jan Van Woensel wrote a manifesto, the essence of which lay in the curator’s desire to identify the logical identity of the artwork: what is art factually and what can be said about it meaningfully?

25 years ago, the curator concluded:

“The origin of the image of art is the origin of its system. All systems are limited. Therefore, all art is limited.”

The concept of (post-)System is primarily based on the revived manifesto — a key work that marked Jan Van Woensel’s departure from a career as an artist. The curatorial project (post-)System offers a critical and reflective view of both art itself and the theoretical analysis of the manifesto.

If the dogmatic statement that all art is based on a logical system is credible, then how do we view artworks that attempt to communicate something that is exterior to its system? Is the hidden system of the artwork the actual artwork itself? Is all art always subordinate to its system?

More about the exhibition — check out the project page.

The exhibition includes videos with high sensory intensity

Jan Van Woensel is an independent curator and art critic who works between Belgium, the Czech Republic, and Ukraine. Since 2025, he is based in Lviv, Ukraine. He is the founder and director of зараз Ukraine: platform for emerging artists. Van Woensel is guest curator at B7 contemporary artspace in Mechelen, Belgium; curator of international exhibitions and symposiums at University of West Bohemia, Pilsen, CZ; and international guest professor at Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Art, KSADA, Kharkiv, UA.

Artists: Leentje Brands (BE), Dirk De Wachter (BE), Halyna Dubyk (UA), Kris Gevers (BE), Katya Kopeikina (UA), Adéla Mitová (CZ), Kristina Mos (UA), Kateryna Myrhorod (UA), Marharyta Polovinko (1994-2025) (UA), Steve Schepens (1979-2022) (BE), Hans Segers (BE), Alexis Stoelen (BE), Darya Sviatun (UA).

Curator: Jan Van Woensel
Project managers: Illia Turyhin, Olena Kryvoruchko
Graphic design: Ihor Tymoshchuk
Translation: Yuliia Kulish, Burshtyna Tereshchenko

The exhibition (post-)System will last until December 21, 2025, at the Mala Gallery (Lavrska St., 10)

Working hours: Wednesday to Sunday, from 12:00 to 19:00
Free admission

(post-)System in Ukraine is supported by Flanders State of the Art, the Flemish Minister of Culture, the Embassy of Belgium in Kyiv, and the Representation of Flanders in Poland and the Baltic States.

❗ We care about everyone’s safety, so in case of an air raid alert, the exhibition will be closed. At this time, you can go to the nearest shelter. The exhibition will start working after the end of an air raid alert.