№11 with writer Taya Naidenko

Humour as Ukraine’s National Strategy
How has a country that Western democracies gave “two or three weeks” back in 2022 somehow managed to survive for a fifth year?Taya argues that it is partly thanks to a paradoxical strategy: the worse things get, the more we laugh. Humour, after all, is a strategy of the quick-witted and the brave.How does humour triumph even over common sense — and ultimately help us win? Why do so many Ukrainian military innovations have such indecent names? Where do distinctly Odessa humour and broader Ukrainian humour meet, and which jokes do foreigners simply fail to understand?Which jokes are traditional, and which emerged specifically during this war? What do soldiers and civilians laugh about, and where is the line between them? Are there jokes that are simply unacceptable? Or can even the darkest joke find its own place, time and audience?And why has the idea of “at least we can have a laugh” itself become a politically divisive issue?📅 Saturday, 3 October, 18:00📝 Register here — and the secret will be revealed: where exactly all this is happening.📍 The venue details will be provided after registration.

№10 with poet Suji Kwock Kim

“After War, in the Midst of War”
We are delighted to welcome Suji Kwock Kim to Odessa as the Cosmopolis's first Polyglot Literary Resident. Suji is an award-winning poet and playwright, winner of the Walt Whitman Award from the Academy of American Poets and a 2026 Guggenheim Fellow in poetry.
During her time in Odessa, Suji will be working on UTOPIA, INC., a book exploring her family history, the lives of North Korean refugees, memories of war, and language that resists propaganda.
On 1 October Suji will read from and talk about her work. The conversation will be moderated by Maya Dimerli.
📅 1 October, 18:00🌐 The event will be held in English.📝 Registration is required. 📍 The venue details will be provided after registration.The residency is our joint initiative with the Odesa UNESCO City of Literature Office, with support from Reykjavík UNESCO City of Literature. She was selected from 43 applicants from 18 countries.

№9 with artist Sergey Anufriev

Odessa’s Photonic Civilization...
The architecture and urban planning of Odessa were shaped by the ideas of the Enlightenment.
The city became a major centre of science and medicine, contributing to the development of bacteriology, sanatorium medicine, emergency medical care and psychoanalysis.
Odessa was also a birthplace of ideas associated with cosmism and aviation, as well as artistic traditions ranging from the avant-garde and nonconformism to conceptualism. Yet much of this legacy, with the exception of the work of George Gamow, has still not received adequate academic attention.
The lecture will be given by Sergey Anufriev — artist, philosopher and writer.
The event will also feature an exhibition of works by contemporary artists exploring new directions in art and reflecting the development of current artistic tendencies.
📅 Saturday, 20 September🕕 18:00📍 Venue details after registrationRegistration required

№8 with journalist Nick Sturdee

The Difficulties of Truth: War in Western Media
Why does the war Odessans live through so often look different from the war we see in Western media? What makes the news, what remains outside the frame, and why?
At our next CosmoKvartirnik, Nick Sturdee — British documentary filmmaker and writer, participant in our 2026 International Residency, and journalist with more than twenty years of experience working with the BBC and Channel 4 — will discuss how war journalism is changing in the digital age: editorial decisions, media economics, the struggle for audience attention, and the temptation to turn complex realities into simple moral narratives.
An insider’s perspective on the profession, followed by an open discussion.
📅 Sunday, 13 September, 18:00💬 Free admission📍 City centre. Detailed location after registration⚠️ Limited places. Registration requiredRegistration form

№7 with historian Viktoriia Korytnianska

Who Was Writing in Occupied Odessa?
People have always written a great deal in Odessa. The atmosphere of this remarkable city by the sea seemed almost to demand that it be captured on paper. The German-Romanian occupation of Odessa in 1941–1944 was no exception.
Who was writing in occupied Odessa? What did they write about? And what happened to these authors after the city was retaken by Soviet forces?
We will explore these questions at our seventh Kvartirnik with Viktoriia Korytnianska, a Ukrainian Cosmopolis Fellow.
📅 Saturday, 29 August🕕 18:00📍 Venue details after registrationRegistration required
Ukrainian Cosmopolis | Residency Season 2026

№6 writer Marina Didenko

Kharkiv and Odessa. Two Writers. Two Cities, Two Frontiers
Marina Didenko is a writer from Kharkiv and a Cosmopolis 2026 Fellow. Her ruthless, absurdist prose captures everyday life during the war following Robert Frost’s maxim: “The best way out is always through.” She looks her fears in the eye and catches every monster right at the scene of the crime.
The ironic prose of Odessa writer Taya Naidenko works differently: almost nothing is stated directly, and the reader is left to infer the most frightening things.
What connects these two writers, each deeply shaped by her native city? And what connects Kharkiv and Odessa today, two cities that have become frontiers?
We will hear stories from Marina’s new book A Lump in the Throat, talk about literature and cities in wartime, ask questions, and search for answers together.
📅 Saturday, 22 August, 18:00; drinks from 17:00📍 Venue details after registration⚠️ Limited places. Registration requiredRegistration
The poster features a work by Odessa artist Valentin Khrushch.

№5 philosopher Vadym Menzhulin

The Autobiographical Verdict
What happens when the public narrative of the past begins to discard entire chapters of a country’s history, and with them the personal biographies of millions of people? When parts of one’s own life become uncomfortable, undesirable, or something that needs to be justified because of war, memory politics, or a changing social climate?
Join us for a conversation about biography, memory, and what happens when people increasingly fail to recognise themselves in the public narrative of the past.
The discussion will bring together philosophers Vadym Menzhulin, a Civic Courage Fellow, and Inna Holubovych, both of whom study biography and memory, alongside anthropologist Anastasia Piliavsky and psychologist Georgiy Khubyan.
🎵 After the discussion, join us for a rooftop music jam featuring Vadym Menzhulin and the band Zira.
📅 Saturday, 15 August, 18:00💬 Free admission📍 City centre. Detailed location after registration⚠️ Limited places. Registration requiredRegistration form

№4 animation artist Mykyta Lyskov

Our guest, Mykyta Lyskov, is an animation filmmaker from Dnipro, member of the Ukrainian Film Academy and one of our 2026 Ukrainian Civic Courage Fellows.
A two-time Golden Dzyga winner and Kinokolo laureate, Lyskov premiered his acclaimed short film Love at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. His films blend dark humour, surrealism and absurdity with a sharp perspective on contemporary Ukraine and the experience of war.
He will screen his latest work, including Kyiv Cake, and discuss independent animation, film education and his current research on the history of Ukrainian animation.
The screening will be followed by a discussion and audience Q&A.

🗣 Moderator: Olena Samofalova
🎬 Salon with Mykyta Lyskov: Screening and Discussion of Animated Films📅 8 August, 18:00📍 Tonki Materii Gallery, 24 Yevropeiska St., Odesa🎟️ Free admission with registration⚠️ Places are limited: https://forms.gle/wYKoKbzsveaErBRS9

№3 with anthropologist Matthew Porges

Anthropology Salon with Matthew Porges
We invite you to the first salon of the Cosmopolis 2026 residency season.
This summer, we are delighted to welcome our international residents to Odesa as part of the Civic Freedom Residency. Our first guest is Oxford anthropologist Matthew Porges, whose research has focused on societies living through prolonged conflict, including Western Sahara and the Balkans.
How do long wars change societies? What do we know about the ways prolonged conflict reshapes trust, morality, politics and everyday life? Which changes disappear once the fighting ends, and which remain for generations? And what can Ukraine learn from the experience of other societies?
The conversation will be held in English. Registered participants will receive three short anthropological readings in advance. Reading them is optional but will enrich the discussion.
📅 Friday, 7 August, 18:00💬 Free admission📍 City centre. Detailed location after registration⚠️ Limited places. Registration requiredhttps://forms.gle/pnDDt3dfS3F2CdV4A

№2 with anthropologist Anastasia Piliavsky

For creative people — from poets to scholars and artistsWe continue our conversation about grants without conformity. At the first Cosmo Salon, we discussed why grants matter, how to stop fearing or despising them, and how to use them not to fit someone else’s agenda, but to support independent creative work.
This time, we move to practice. We will discuss the structure of a grant application, what makes a strong proposal, and the most common mistakes. We will look at examples of successful and unsuccessful applications and talk about how to preserve your own voice without getting lost in institutional requirements.
The event is intended for creative people of all kinds: artists, writers, musicians, curators, journalists, researchers, and scholars.




📅 Saturday, 11 July, 18:00💬 Free admission📍 City centre. Detailed location after registration⚠️ Limited places. Registration requiredhttps://forms.gle/p6UM1fBNsfypeeib6

№1: with anthropologist & Founding Head Anastasia Piliavsky