Ukrainian Cosmopolis is an independent cultural-intellectual collective based in Odessa and connected to the world. We defend curiosity, plurality, and free reason through public debate, residencies, education, and civic action. We bring together some of Odessa’s most eminent poets and scientists, artists and writers, scholars and filmmakers, joined by colleagues from across Ukraine — from Kyiv to Kharkiv and Lviv. Opposing all forms of censorship and radicalism, we believe that cultural and intellectual life should connect, not wage wars. Odessa has long been one of Europe’s capitals of freedom — artistic, cultural, and intellectual. We carry this spirit forward at a time when it is once again under threat.

We hold that inquiry and creativity wither in disciplinary silos and flourish through cross-pollination and a shared effort to understand human life. Following the principle of enlightened holism, we see thought, art, and civic life as inseparable. Poetry is as precise as any science; mathematics is as creative as art. Art is no ornament, science is never abstract, and the humanities cannot afford to be naïve.
Our initiatives — public discussions, civic actions, exhibitions, and educational programmes — bring together art and philosophy, music and literature, history and science in a shared human project. Our plural, polyglot space is where ideas are tested, voices are heard, and political imagination thrives.

Our Core Initiatives
• The December Debates are Ukraine’s first Oxford-style public debates, launching this winter and held annually in Odessa and online. Leading voices from Ukraine and the wider world argue the hardest questions facing the country — in a civil setting.
• The Cosmopolis Residencies are a month-long residency programme in Odessa for thinkers, writers, scholars, artists, journalists, and scientists from around the world.
• Odessa to the World is our digital-visibility programme helping Odessa’s artists, writers, and cultural institutions reach global audiences.
Cosmopolis also leads a growing number of other projects — from documentary collaborations and heritage advocacy to educational programmes and public discussions.
More than a cultural organisation, we are Ukraine’s bulwark of artistic and intellectual freedom, civic courage, and principled critical dialogue. We are convinced that these are not luxuries but the guarantors of Ukraine’s social peace and European future.
We build civic courage through culture — and keep Odessa’s Enlightenment alive.