2026 Igor Zabel Award for Culture and Theory
1 July 2026 року
Nataliia Ivanova, Director of YermilovCentre and co-coordinator of the “CITY AND WAR 2.0” project, has been awarded the 2026 Igor Zabel Award for Culture and Theory. This prestigious international honor recognizes her outstanding contributions to contemporary art, her curatorial and educational work, and her commitment to sustaining Kharkiv's cultural life during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The award jury recognized Ivanova's longstanding leadership of YermilovCentre, one of Ukraine's leading contemporary art institutions, which she has directed since its founding in 2012. Particular attention was given to the work of the center's team, which has continued to organize exhibitions, educational programs, and international cultural initiatives despite the extraordinary challenges of working in the frontline city of Kharkiv.
The Igor Zabel Award for Culture and Theory is among the most prestigious international awards in the field of contemporary art in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Presented every two years, it honors curators, art historians, theorists, researchers, and critics whose work in the field of visual culture has made a significant contribution to international cultural dialogue. The award was established in honor of the Slovenian curator and art historian Igor Zabel.
