EURORENOVATION (EUROREMONT):
The a o concealing
Ka e yna Filyuk
Chie Cu a o / IZOLYATSIA. Pla o m o Cul u al Ini ia i es, Kyi , Uk aine
Abs ac
Soon a e he collapse o he So ie Union, he phenomenon o Eu o eno a ion eme ged
eady o help nume ous ci izens o he newly es ablished Uk ainiain s a e o ge id o
hei gloomy pas . The mo emen , disguised as he eo ganiza ion o he p i a e space
o one’s own home, ac ually unc ioned as a ace-li and a co e -up o all so s o
p oblems ins ead o he much-needed sea ch o solu ions. Plas ic eu o-windows and
eu o-doo s, d opped ceiling and plas ic paneling looded Uk aine, mimicking Eu opean
design and e en ually he li es yle while e ec i ely igno ing massi e in as uc u al
p oblems, po e y and he immense gap be ween a de as a ed coun y in ansi ion and
a seemingly lou ishing Eu ope. In 2010, R.E.P. g oup ini ia ed a long- e m p ojec called
Eu o eno a ion aiming a iden i ying symp oms o his p ocess and consequen ly
app ehending Eu o eno a ion in i s complexi y in o de o be able o desc ibe simila
socio-cul u al ela ions in o he coun ies. O e he ollowing yea s he a is s c ea ed a
se ies o ins alla ions, whe e hey li e ally copied ecognizable ends in he popula
in e io edesign o So ie apa men s using cheap impo ed ma e ials. S ange as i
may sound, bu Eu ope – Uk aine’s ole model – may ha e allen in o he e y same
ap. A endency owa ds he cosme ic concealmen o p oblem a eas and pa ching up
ins ead o coming up wi h p oblem-sol ing me hodologies cha ac e izes Eu opean
go e nance in ecen yea s. Wi h ha said, he Uk ainian know-how could be o p ac ical
alue as well as he R.E.P. g oup isual esea ch ha con incingly demons a e he
dange s o he Eu o eno a ion app oach.
Keywo ds: Eu o eno a ion, mimic y, a chi ec u e, decommunisa ion.
The as es empi ical way o lea n abou Eu o eno a ion would be o b owse
nume ous Uk ainian apa men en al websi es, whe e one would ind quickly
diminishing ca ego y o g anny’s-So ie -s yle Kh ushche ka, a ela i ely small
ca ego y o mode n apa men s and he se en seas o eu o eno a ed la s.
Ka e yna Filyuk, EURORENOVATION (EUROREMONT): The a o concealing
98
Buil in he 60s du ing Kh ushche ’s ule, ugly cookie-cu e Kh ushche kas
isualized he So ie idea o equali y and uni ica ion unde which di e ences
we e no only inadmissible bu also ba ely impossible o achie e due o he
limi ed ma ke . These cheap block buildings concei ed as a empo a y solu ion
o housing p oblem we e no mean o las mo e han 25 yea s, howe e , o his
day mos Kh ushche kas ha e ne e been eplaced and, as he saying goes,
he e is no hing mo e pe manen han empo a y. Unde s andably, ime le i s
ma k on hem and al eady in 90s a p omp eno a ion has been equi ed. This is
one o he easons why Eu o eno a ion became a p edominan a chi ec u al and
in e io design s yle in all pos -So ie coun ies. Ini ially as a empo a y solu ion
in an icipa ion o o e haul main enance. Aes he ically a e he all o he I on
Wall hi s y o changes and s i ing o Wes e n way o li e hose who ailed
ied o imi a e he la es a any cos s. Bu hey didn’ know e y much abou
eal Wes e n li e, so hey c ea ed some s ange copy, which o Wes e n people
seems like a bi o a ca ica u e. The hallma ks o Eu o eno a ion a e cheap
ma e ials, eplaceable su aces, d ywall and plas ic, plas ic eu o-windows and
eu o-doo s, ake s ucco molding, d opped ceiling, p edominan colou – beige. I
was an embodimen o a cheap d eam, he emp a ion o ad e ising, physically
displacing an unwo hy eali y. A he same ime hese echniques se ed o
conceal un epai able and une en walls – he esul s o ushed mass-p oduc ion
o he 60s.
NOTES ON EUROPE. The Dogma ic Sleep
P oceedings. Po o, Oc obe 29-31 2019
99
Figu e 1. Che epano a U. (1960s), Doppelgange : K okodil
(C ocodile) magazine. The se ies o ca ica u es illus a ing
Kh ushche ka’s pa adoxes. E en a he momen o hei
cons uc ion block buildings we e hea ily c i icized and
idiculed o poo soundp oo ing, ugly design and he low
quali y o used ma e ials
E en ually, he plague o Eu o eno a ion has become a li es yle o e en an
ope a ional pa adigm, no jus an in e io design solu ion o p ac ical ma e s. I
in aded TV p og ams and ashion as much as public poli ics. Gimmick mimic y,
alse açades wi h no ounda ion, and cosme ic eno a ions ins ead o d as ic
ac ions we e exe cised in a ious ields cha ac e izing a new e a. Al hough
Wes e n and namely Eu opean alues had always been igge ing, he
Eu o eno a ion p ocesses owning a deb o i s name o Eu ope. As in many o he
cases and disciplines in Uk aine, ini ially good in en ions o ca ching and g ading
up wi h Eu ope u ned ou o be a shee imi a ion o e o ms, democ a isa ion o
socie y and adop ion o he Eu o-in eg a ion pa h. The omnip esen co up ion
s ill in oxica es mul iple sec o s o he economy and p i a e li e o he people,
bu , hanks o he a o camou lage, he coun y looks qui e mode nized and
“Eu opean”.
Ka e yna Filyuk, EURORENOVATION (EUROREMONT): The a o concealing
100
Wi h ime, he o me So ie Union coun ies d i ed apa , i e ie ably pu suing
each i s own pa h, howe e i would no be oo much o a gene aliza ion o say
ha hey a e s ill by and la ge go e ned by double s anda ds – a glossy açade
o en con adic s he back s age hideousness.
Figu e 2. An example o Eu o eno a ion in e io aken om
an in e io design websi e. The i le o he a icle is Wha is
Eu o eno a ion? and i b ie ly explains wha he e m
means. Sou ce: h ps://dom. ia.com/uk/a icles/ch o- akoe-
e o emon -173890.h ml
A guably in amous decommunisa ion can be analysed h ough he
Eu o eno a ion p ism oo. The laws o decommunisa ion had been adop ed by
he Pa liamen on Ap il 9 h, 2015, and, e e since i s legalisa ion, he wi ch-hun
has been ully emb aced and pu in p ac ice by Uk ainian bu eauc a s and
ac i is s. A i s , wi h he wiping ou o Lenin’s monumen s, he p osecu ing
pu sui soon ouched upon e e y hing ha con ained So ie symbols and could
be supposedly classi ied as Communis p opaganda. The ci ies, illages, and
s ee s ecei ed new names, such as one o he mos popula ed ci ies in eas e n
Uk aine – Dnip ope o sk, which was enamed Dnip o. The second pa o he
compound wo d had e e ed o he name o he Bolshe ik and So ie
Communis Pa y leade G igo y Pe o sky, who became one o he mas e minds
o he Holodomo a i icial amine in Uk aine in 1932-1933. Hence in hei
pu sui o he new, s ipped o dubious pas iden i y, Uk ainians eso ed o
iolen , unci ilized and expec edly hough less me hods suspiciously esembling
NOTES ON EUROPE. The Dogma ic Sleep
P oceedings. Po o, Oc obe 29-31 2019
101
hose o Eu o eno a ion. I ’s only he açade ha has o be ace-li ed and
co e ed-up, al hough he So ie mindse doesn’ go away ha easily. As o
sp ing 2019, o e one housand se lemen s we e enamed and app oxima ely
2,5 housand communis monumen s disman led.
Figu e 3. The eques ian s a ue o Nikolay Shcho s, Kyi
(2016). Uk ainian au ho i ies decided o camou lage he
monumen by w apping i up wi h eno mous bicolou — blue
and yellow — ab ic, esembling he na ional Uk ainian lag.
As he u n o e en s ollows, he co e -up was done in
o de o elimina e he allegedly displeasing monumen s
du ing he Independence Day celeb a ion (!), while, a he
same ime, o deco a e he ci y wi h a much mo e che ished
and p ide-inducing na ional symbol. Fou yea s la e , he
blue and yellow semi- anspa en cube, wi h he easily
ecognisable eques ian silhoue e inside o i , is s ill he e.
Pho o by Ye gen Niki o o
I comes as no su p ise ha he phenomenon o Eu o eno a ion caugh he
a en ion o he back- hen-young membe s o R.E.P. g oup, which o med du ing
social p o es s and whose collabo a ion was o ged by he O ange Re olu ion
(2004). Acco dingly, socio-poli ical issues ha e been he co e o hei a is ic
p ac ice, which, a he e y beginning, hey also success ully combined wi h
ac i ism.
In 2010, R.E.P. ini ia ed a long- e m p ojec called Eu o eno a ion aiming a
iden i ying symp oms o his p ocess and consequen ly app ehending
Eu o eno a ion in i s complexi y in o de o be able o desc ibe simila socio-
cul u al ela ions in o he coun ies. O e he ollowing yea s he a is s c ea ed
a se ies o ins alla ions, whe e hey li e ally copied ecognizable ends in he

Ka e yna Filyuk, EURORENOVATION (EUROREMONT): The a o concealing
102
popula in e io edesign o So ie apa men s using cheap impo ed ma e ials.
Fo he i s i e a ion o he p ojec a Kuns aum in Munich, R.E.P. in i ed and
in e iewed a p o essional deco a o who deals wi h Eu o eno a ion all he ime.
Ul ima ely, he wo k consis ed o he ideo in which he deco a o desc ibed he
s yle and p o ided some his o ical backg ound as well as an in e io designed by
he . Since hen, he g oup has p oduced mo e han i e i e a ions o he p ojec ,
always uning i o he cu en poli ical si ua ion o commen ing on wo king
condi ions in cul u al sec o e c.
Figu e 4. R.E.P. ( e olu iona y expe imen al space)
Eu o eno a ion. Cu , 2012. This ins alla ion explo es he
ways pos -So ie spaces a e con e ed ollowing an
aes he ic ha om an old so ie pe spec i e appea s o be
in a Wes e n s yle
Acco ding o g oup membe Niki a Kadan, by sc u inizing a ious mani es a ions
o Eu o eno a ion, hey seek o analyse genuine Uk ainian con ex bu also:
By pu ing he accen on he subjec i i ies o pos -So ie space, we a gue
ha i is no me ely some ca ica u ed and g o esque objec o
obse a ion and ha i has i s own pe spec i e on he Wes . And we wan
o show he Wes (in he Wes ) he Eas ’s iew o he Wes . So we pu up
no one mi o , bu wo. And hey e lec one ano he . One is loca ed in
pos -So ie space, he o he in he so-called ee, uni ed Eu ope. And we
c ea e a si ua ion o innume able ecip ocal e lec ions ha wi h e e y
change o con ex e eal new images (Kadan, 2011).
NOTES ON EUROPE. The Dogma ic Sleep
P oceedings. Po o, Oc obe 29-31 2019
103
Thus o R.E.P. g oup he phenomenon o Eu o eno a ion applied o he analysis
o social li e opens up a b oade discussion on he p ocess o Uk aine’s pos -
So ie ans o ma ion in o a wes e n neolibe al s a e. In a con e sa ion ha
ook place in 2015, he g oup membe s exp essed hope ha a e he Re olu ion
o Digni y, which is undeniably one o he mos impo an poli ical e en s in he
his o y o Mode n Eu ope, he phenomenon o Eu o eno a ion will subside.
Reso ing o he language o a chi ec u e, which is he amewo k o his pape ,
he ba icades on Maidan Squa e symbolized pu e, genuine aspi a ion o
eedom and nega ion o all-pe mea ing hypoc isy. Made o ound ma e ials and
se ing exclusi ely u ili a ian goals, he en s and ba icades we e supposed o
cancel he Eu o eno a ion o e e .
Bu om he Kyi ci y cen e , he on line mo ed o Eas e n Uk aine, whe e
wa wi h he Russia-backed e o is s is ongoing. The clea example o
Eu o eno a ion mindse he e is he so-called Minsk P o ocol – an ag eemen o
hal he wa in he Donbas egion, signed by ep esen a i es o Uk aine, he
Russian Fede a ion, he Done sk People's Republic and he Luhansk People's
Republic on 5 Sep embe 2014. The ag eemen , signed unde he auspices o
he O ganiza ion o Secu i y and Co-ope a ion in Eu ope (OSCE), has o ally
ailed o s op he igh ing. And ye , i is cons an ly being e e ed o by he
Russian Fede a ion as a iable solu ion. The S einmeie Fo mula is a mo e ecen
example o his illusion a play. S einmeie 's o mula calls o elec ions o be held
in he sepa a is -held e i o ies unde Uk ainian legisla ion and he supe ision
o he OSCE. I he OSCE judges he ballo ing o be ee and ai , hen a special
sel -go e ning s a us o he e i o ies will be ini ia ed and Uk aine will be
e u ned con ol o i s eas e nmos bo de . In his case again, in acco dance wi h
OSCE ules and egula ions, elec ions canno ake place in e i o ies whe e
egula oops a e s a ioned. Howe e , OSCE is eady o neglec he ules in
a ou o Russia, showing capi ula ing ins ead o p incipled s ance.
Allegedly hese, as much as many o he ecen ac ions o Eu ope, a e doub ul
and p oblema ic as well as hypoc i ical. They a e me ely di ec ed owa d
o i ying he spi i and c ea ing a eeling ha e e y hing is al igh , building up
he alse açade o wel a e and jus ice. And so he p ocess and pu pose o
Ka e yna Filyuk, EURORENOVATION (EUROREMONT): The a o concealing
104
Eu o eno a ion is a powe ul me apho o he a o emen ioned geopoli ical
posi ioning o con empo a y Eu ope. This ea ly pos -So ie phenomenon oo ed
in he admi a ion o a jus as well cul u ally and economically supe io Eu ope
has made i s way back o he ounde .
I emains unclea wha is o be spo ed in his si ua ion o innume able
ecip ocal e lec ions Kadan e e ed o desc ibing Eu o eno a ion p ojec ’s aim.
Re e ences
R.E.P. Re olu iona y Expe imen al Space (2015). The G een Box. Be lin: Kuns
Edi ionen.
R.E.P. G oup in Con e sa ion wi h La issa Babij (2011) h ps://a ma gins.com/ ep-
g oup-con e sa ion-la issa-babij/
B uno La ou (2017) Down o Ea h. Poli ics in he New Clima ic Regime. Camb idge:
Poli y P ess.
Au ho iden i ica ion
Ka e yna Filyuk. Is a cu a o and a c i ic and cu en ly se es as hechie cu a o a
Izolya sia. Pla o m o Cul u al Ini ia i es in Kyi . P io o joining Izolya sia, she was he
co-cu a o o he Fes i al o Young Uk ainian A is s a Mys e skyi A senal, Kyi (2017).
She has pa icipa ed in se e al in e na ionally enowned cu a o ial p og ams, including
Young Cu a o s Residency P og amme a he Fondazione Sand e o Re Rebaudengo,
Tu in (2017); De Appel Cu a o ial P og amme, Ams e dam (2015–2016); In e na ional
Resea ch Fellowship a he Na ional Museum o Mode n and Con empo a y A (MMCA),
Seoul (2014); and Gwangju Biennale In e na ional Cu a o Cou se (2012). She was he
ca alogue managing edi o and discussion pla o m coo dina o o he Fi s Kyi
In e na ional Biennale o Con empo a y A ARSENALE 2012. She holds an MA in
philosophy om Odessa I. I. Mechniko Na ional Uni e si y