Synopsis

July 2014. A Ukrainian family living near the border with Russia finds themselves in the center of an international conflict. The pregnant Irka and husband Tolik resolve to remain in their home, despite the fact that it’s now missing a wall. As they attempt to rebuild, they’re forced to reckon with a complicated new reality—one that includes a mysterious plane crash, rumors of a separatist movement, and the escalation of war.

Synopsis

In celebration of this year’s Chicago Architecture Biennial, this program tracks how we establish strong connections to a place, and the complications of staying in it. Featuring works by Camille Authouart, Mariia Ponomarova, Lloyd Lee Choi, and Ufuoma Essi.

An artist explores, observes, and draws scenes of La Défense, a neighborhood west of Paris whose large-scale public artworks constitute the largest open-air museum in Europe, in The Great Arc (France). Former residents remember happier times in a beloved apartment in Three Windows on South West (The Netherlands, Ukraine). Closing Dynasty (U.S.) follows a day in the life of a streetwise kid named Queenie as she navigates her own path through New York City. And Is My Living In Vain (U.K., France, New Zealand) explores the Black church as a site of personal and political belonging through portraits of communities across west Philadelphia and southeast London.