Chto Delat in Rijeka for the first time
18.9.–7.10.2026.
As part of the Kamov Residency Programme, Tsaplya Olga Egorova and Dmitry Vilensky, members and founders of the artistic collective Chto Delat, will be in Rijeka from 18 September to 7 October.
Founded in St Petersburg in 2003, Chto Delat brings together artists, philosophers, critics and writers and has, for more than two decades, developed an interdisciplinary artistic practice at the intersection of art, political theory and activism. The collective works across film and video, theatre and performance, installation, publications, seminars and public campaigns, exploring social and political issues, collective action, solidarity, and the possibilities of artistic responses to times of crisis.
The collective’s work has been presented at numerous international institutions and exhibitions, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, Centre Pompidou in Paris, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, MAXXI in Rome, Tate Liverpool, New Museum in New York and Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin, as well as at the Gwangju Biennale and Shanghai Biennale. Their works are held in the collections of numerous international museums and art institutions.
Residency in Rijeka
During their stay in Rijeka, Chto Delat will open their practice to the local artistic and social context. Through encounters with artists, curators, researchers and cultural workers, they will engage with Rijeka’s artistic scene, its institutions, histories and contemporary practices, while exploring possibilities for future collaborations.
With its layered cultural and industrial history, experience of different political and social systems, and its history of transition, Rijeka offers numerous points of connection with the themes explored by the collective. At the same time, during the residency the artists will continue working on the post-production of their new video work.
An important part of the residency will be a series of three public programmes, through which Chto Delat will present their work and open up a space for discussion on art, political realities, collective memory and social crises.
Public Programmes
22 September at 6:30 pm — Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Krešimirova 26c
Art Making in Times of Emergencies – A Short History of the Chto Delat Collective
Presentation of the collective followed by a conversation with Tsaplya Olga Egorova and Dmitry Vilensky on the development of Chto Delat and their experience of artistic practice in circumstances marked by political, social and existential crises.
25 September at 7:00 pm — Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Krešimirova 26c
Interrogating Imperial Pasts – Artistic and Academic Perspectives
A conversation between Chto Delat and the research group REVENANT: Revivals of Empire – Nostalgia, Amnesia, Tribulation, accompanied by excerpts from the film The Revenant Project – Persons, Places, Things and works by Chto Delat. The programme addresses questions of collective memory, imperial legacies, and the relationship between artistic and academic research.
1 October at 6:00 pm — Art-kino Croatia, Krešimirova 2
Songs of Hope and Despair
The Rijeka premiere of the new film by Chto Delat International, directed by Tsaplya Olga Egorova. Made in 2025, the film had its world festival premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) in 2026. The screening will be followed by a conversation with the artists.
Admission to all programmes is free.
Songs of Hope and Despair will be screened with English subtitles.
The Rijeka programme is organised by the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Rijeka, as part of the Kamov Residency Programme, in collaboration with Art-kino Croatia and the research project REVENANT: Revivals of Empire – Nostalgia, Amnesia, Tribulation, based at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Rijeka.
During the residency, Songs of Hope and Despair will also be screened on 28 September at the Multimedia Institute – MaMa in Zagreb, in collaboration with the curatorial collective What, How and for Whom / WHW, and on 2 October at the Museum of Modern Art in Ljubljana.