Art Basel Unlimited 2026

In the Unlimited sector, curated by Ruba Katrib, Voloshyn Gallery will present a large installation by Nikita Kadan — a leading figure in contemporary Ukrainian art.

 

Known for his critical engagement with post-communist social and political developments, Kadan will present his sound installation Tryvoha (The Sirens and the Mast) that explores the intersections of history, memory, and the current Ukrainian landscape.

 

 

The audio for this work has been composed by Roman Grygoriv and Illia Razumeiko and performed by Lena Bielkina - a Ukrainian mezzo-soprano. Thus, by being sung, the air raid siren becomes equivalent to the siren from Greek myths. Merging opera and the air raid alarm familiar to all Ukrainians, the artist seeks to comment on culture and the reality of wartime survival. It is an eerie work, as the sound comes in waves, breaking short moments of silence and immediately creating a sense of unease within the viewers. The circular sheer white curtain, feels both like a stage and a medical screen separating the living from the dead, Ukrainians from the rest of the world.

 

The sharp metal rod positioned in the very centre serves as a metaphorical anchor amidst the violent sound, a place of certainty within the wailings of the siren luring people to their demise. Yet, at the same time, it symbolises the death which air raids brings to some of those who hear it. The sound of an air raid signifies destruction, as when the Siren’s song ends, death surely follows. Here, the Ukrainian definition of the word “tryvoha” comes into play meaning both an ‘air raid alarm’ and ‘permanent state of anxiety’. 

 

Tryvoha is an interactive installation as viewers are invited to walk through it and experience the sound enveloping them from every side. The act of walking past the curtain into the symbolic “state of anxiety” and out of it again, can also be viewed as a metaphorical rebirth. The audience gains an audible experience of a “war sound” which signifies destruction, yet they listen to it in a safe environment, getting to walk out of it unharmed. 

Press release