Kvartnirnik Salons
Our kvartirnik salons — an old Odessa tradition — bring together artists, writers, and thinkers to test ideas and share new work in apartments across the city. Not wholly private, not quite public — these are open, but intimate gatherings in a room, around a table, a few chairs, bottles of wine, and people thinking out loud. This is where things often begin in Odessa: in conversation, long before institutions catch up. This is where Babel first cut his voice and the Nonconformists sketched their way out of orthodoxy. We play with the old form — some host talks, others readings or open discussions — so it can keep doing new things.
Kvartirnik No. 6 with 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.
Kvartirnik №5 with 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
Kvartirnik №4 with 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
Kvartirnik №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
Kvartirnik №2: Honest Grants II by Cosmopolis founder 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
Kvartirnik №1: Cosmopolis founder Anastasia Piliavsky on how to fund your work without selling your soul