CUTOUT COLLAGE FESTIVAL 2026

THEME: IDENTITY CODE: Nation, Culture, Politics

CONCEPT: 

What is identity? For us, it is something personal, unexplainable, because it manifests itself in our actions and choices. But the war made us think more deeply about how identity is formed and how vulnerable it is to external influences. The consequences of human decisions, cultural confusion, inertia, and infantilism, which have been and continue to be manipulated, have given rise to the problem of cultural identity and identity in general.

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Identity rests on three key concepts: identity, continuity, and self-awareness. They seem obvious, but their power depends on knowing one's own culture, accepting it, and being able to consciously translate it outward. However, in today's world, our identity is shaped not only by our own experience, but also by the information environment: social networks, mass culture, trends, and propaganda. To what extent do we realize this influence? 

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For centuries, Ukrainian culture has been devalued, repressed, and forcibly destroyed. Often, through manipulations and substitutions of concepts, identity was imperceptibly erased. As a result, part of the population lost their roots, historical memory, and understanding of continuity. This opens up space for further manipulation, which is contrary to the interests of the nation and the state as a whole. 

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The topic of identity is becoming more and more acute, as we feel its loss at every step. This is how the theme of the third CUTOUT Contemporary Collage Festival was born - a platform for artistic reflection on identity, its vulnerability and value. We want to draw attention to how national identity is formed in different countries and ask: is it possible to preserve the identity of a nation in the modern world while remaining apolitical? 

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We invite artists from all over the world to express their thoughts, ask questions and provide answers through the art of collage. Your works will become a part of the global discussion, and our festival will become a platform for exploring this topic at the international level.