Kristina Semenova & Olga Vostretsova

Бükü is an art space and curator collective based in Leipzig, Germany. Borrowing their name from a postcolonial thought and particularly from the concept by Homi K. Bhabha, they focus on contemporary artistic positions from the post-Soviet area with all its influences, differences and mutuality. Their curating practice is based on the cultural translation, which they see as a political practice, which exposes political borders as social constructions as well as shows the intertwining and interaction of many equal cultures. Both members of the collective, Kristina Semenova and Olga Vostretsova, have theirs backgrounds in studies ‘Cultures of the Curatorial’ at the Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig. Olga Vostretsova worked 2012–2013 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Leipzig (GfZK) with the Grant for Young Curators from Eastern Europe and Kristina Semenova was 2012-2015 curator of artist residency LIA Leipzig International Art Programme.

Since 2014 they run together the program of Бükü inviting artists for residencies and artistic research to Leipzig and curating international exhibitions. Recent projects include: best evidence rule, (KV–Leipzig 2015), The Third Space (Бükü 2015), TRANSMISSION (Triumph Gallery Moscow 2015), Backstage Painting (Бükü 2014), Space LAB (Spinnerei 2013). They also work as freelance curators and are part of the curatorial board at KV–Association for Contemporary Art Leipzig. Besides of that Olga is now teaching art mediation at the Department of Art History at the University of Leipzig and Kristina has been  awarded with 3 years research project ICSC-Intercity/Switchcity by the Goethe-Institut Croatia and KKW Leipzig.    

http://www.buekue.eu/