History on the Margins: Solo Exhibition of Belarusian Artist Uladzimir Hramovich Opens in Warsaw

Фрагмент экспазіцыі выставы. Фота прадастаўлена Уладзімірам Грамовічам.

Yesterday, March 28, a solo exhibition by Uladzimir Hramovich opened at the TBA gallery in Warsaw. The Belarusian artist’s project “Margins” (“Pali”) explores how collective forgetting is constructed and who holds the right to shape our past in times when narratives are constantly being rewritten.

Hramovich approaches history in a distinctive way: he traces how certain stories never fully materialized, were deliberately erased, or suppressed.

The artist’s works exist in a state “outside of time”: they appear contemporary, yet remain detached from a specific historical moment. This reflects the broader condition of Eastern Europe, where memory remains a battleground actively shaped and contested.

Central Images: Between Representation and Erasure

At the center of the exhibition is the fresco “When a Banner Becomes a Landscape,” created specifically for the Warsaw space. It appears as if it has always been there—something discovered rather than produced. The fresco depicts an empty flag without inscriptions and two suns suspended between reality and imagination.

This is not a fixed narrative, but only its trace—something partially lost or never fully formed.

Uladzimir Hramovich “When a Banner Becomes a Landscape.” Photo courtesy of the artist.

Exhibition fragment. Photo courtesy of Uladzimir Hramovich.

Mechanisms of Control and the Illusion of Truth

This theme of instability continues in the work “They Never Had Weapons or Ornaments.” Drawing on the visual language of regional museums and imagined prehistoric artifacts, the artist creates objects that resemble historical evidence but resist verification.

Uladzimir Hramovich “They Never Had Weapons or Ornaments.” Photo courtesy of the artist.

In “Field Studies No. 1,” the process becomes more intimate. A small archival image expands into a spatial form, moving from sketch to object. What begins as observation turns into reconstruction, highlighting how even the smallest fragment can be extracted, altered, and recontextualized.

Uladzimir Hramovich “Field Studies No. 1.” Photo courtesy of the artist.

Exhibition fragment. Photo courtesy of Uladzimir Hramovich.

The exhibition “Pali” is not so much about what we have forgotten as about how forgetting is produced. The artist invites viewers to look at the “edges” of history in order to better understand the present.

Uladzimir Hramovich is one of the most consistent Belarusian artists working with themes of historical memory, architecture, and urban space. He focuses on what usually escapes attention: subtle details through which power operates and official history is constructed.

The artist has received broad international recognition: he presented his work at Manifesta 14 in Pristina (2022), the Yiddishland Pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale (2022), and the Matter of Art Biennale in 2024. In 2026, Hramovich was nominated for the Neuköllner Kunstpreis in Berlin, further underscoring the level of his professional activity.

Venue: TBA (To Be Announced) Gallery, Warsaw, Wilcza 62. Duration: The exhibition runs until April 30, 2026.