A Russian Club event focused on highlighting Ukranian voices in discussions of Eastern Europe. Photo by Emma Quirk ‘26.
By Sophie Frank ’26
Staff Writer
On Thursday, Oct. 20, the Mount Holyoke College Russian Club hosted a talk entitled “The Black Square Goes Where?: (Re)locating Ukrainian Artists in the Russo-Soviet Avant-Garde.” The lecturer, Professor Daniel Brooks, is a visiting lecturer in Russian and Eurasian Studies at Mount Holyoke, and a Russian language and literature expert. His talk discussed Russian and Ukrainian art throughout history, grounding art in location, historical context, culture and language.
Brooks began with one of the aims of the talk, which is to communicate a need to “[seek] out Ukrainian voices for better understanding of context,” he said. He pointed to the fact that none of the Five Colleges employ what could be called a Ukrainian specialist, but acknowledged that we have students from Ukraine and faculty who are experts on Eastern European history.
From here, Brooks discussed etymology, particularly the way language can hold onto a history of imperialism. This can be seen in the way we talk about Ukraine — calling the country “the Ukraine” as opposed to simply Ukraine “reflects [Russia’s] imperial stance on Ukrainian sovereignty,” according to his presentation. Language — and with it, “myths, memories, symbols and values” — affects how we discuss art, culture and the process of “[decolonizing] Ukrainian geographical and cultural space,” he said.
The talk then moved to individual artists, such as Ilya Repin and Kazimir Malevich, and art movements, such as the Russian avant garde movement. Brooks examined how an artist’s cultural and artistic ties to Russia and Ukraine evolve as relations between both countries do. What does it mean to say these artists are from Ukraine or from Russia? How have shifting geographical borders and cultural art movements changed the way we view an individual’s work? These questions are especially relevant when considering how the legacy of famous artists who have ties to Ukraine and Russia will be carried on, he shared.
Brooks concluded with a list of self-assigned tasks, asking how he, as a Russian scholar, can “critically interrogate the kind of ‘Russianness’ … in which [his] texts partake” and “seek out complementary voices” to add to our collective understanding of colonization and Ukrainian history.
The Russian Club, which works closely with the Department of Russian and Eurasian Studies, hosts a wide variety of events, from Russian movie screenings to talks by faculty members. Emma Pope McCright ’23 said, “What we’ve been trying to do with the Russian Club is … show that there is a lot [of] nuance and diversity in the history of the Russian, Eastern Europe, Central Asia area, and how it’s all very connected and very relevant.” Natalie O’Neil ’23 agreed, saying, “It’s important to … break away from the Russian-centric” approach we often use when looking at these subjects.
When looking to the future, Brooks said, “Our program is called the [Department of Russian and Eurasian Studies]. I would be very much invested in the Eurasian part being taken seriously, not only for the purpose of having a richer understanding of a large portion of the world that has been touched by Russian history [and the] Russian empire, but also so that we can have a more nuanced understanding of … the cultures and people that get swallowed up into Russianness.”
Overall, the event took a nuanced approach to complex ideas, looking into the past for context as we consider what we can do better in the future.