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NOTHING IS DECIDED
19.08.2026 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
The Goethe-Institut in Ukraine and the Kharkiv Municipal Gallery present the exhibition of posters by Klaus Staeck “Nothing Is Decided”. The artist is President of the Academy of Arts in Berlin. The official opening of the exhibition will take place in Kharkiv on April 5 at 17:00.
“Nothing Is Decided” is a nationwide project of the Goethe-Institut. The exhibition will be shown in Kyiv, Odesa, Chernivtsi, Lviv, and other cities. But it all begins in Kharkiv. That is why the author of the posters, Klaus Staeck, will personally attend the opening in Kharkiv.
The professor’s career is indicative of contemporary German society. His posters are provocative and political, often addressing painful issues. Attempts were made to ban them through the courts around 40 times, but none of these attempts succeeded. Today, Klaus Staeck, a lawyer by training, holds the country’s highest position in the field of art.
The artist works in the genres of posters, street leaflets, and stickers. All these tools are used directly in the public environment – politics here is inseparable from visual mastery. The montage method allows ideas to be expressed through satire or sarcasm – often the message to the viewer is based on a recognizable, attractive visual image – it may be an advertisement, a classic work of fine art, etc., while the textual caption becomes the central element. An entire generation has already grown up with such powerful informational messages – Klaus Staeck has been creating posters for about 40 years. Surprisingly, some of his earliest works remain extremely relevant today. This is because the artist addresses global issues such as water, oil extraction, and waste. And these problems do not disappear. That is why the exhibition is called “Nothing Is Decided” – nothing is decided because we live on this planet and must constantly pay attention to the place where we live, just as we constantly clean our homes and wash the dishes. The artist is convinced that in order to change something, one must act in the political sphere.
Serhiy Zhadan helped build bridges between Professor Klaus Staeck and Ukraine – he translated texts for the Ukrainian edition of the catalogue and also conducted an extensive interview with the artist.
Another reason for launching the nationwide project specifically in Kharkiv is that the “4th Block” Association of Designers and Graphic Artists has long been actively working with similar themes here. Therefore, a presentation of works by the association’s artists will take place a week before the official opening, on March 29 – in the form of direct action, with posters displayed on the street in front of the gallery.
The professor’s career is indicative of contemporary German society. His posters are provocative and political, often addressing painful issues. Attempts were made to ban them through the courts around 40 times, but none of these attempts succeeded. Today, Klaus Staeck, a lawyer by training, holds the country’s highest position in the field of art.
The artist works in the genres of posters, street leaflets, and stickers. All these tools are used directly in the public environment – politics here is inseparable from visual mastery. The montage method allows ideas to be expressed through satire or sarcasm – often the message to the viewer is based on a recognizable, attractive visual image – it may be an advertisement, a classic work of fine art, etc., while the textual caption becomes the central element. An entire generation has already grown up with such powerful informational messages – Klaus Staeck has been creating posters for about 40 years. Surprisingly, some of his earliest works remain extremely relevant today. This is because the artist addresses global issues such as water, oil extraction, and waste. And these problems do not disappear. That is why the exhibition is called “Nothing Is Decided” – nothing is decided because we live on this planet and must constantly pay attention to the place where we live, just as we constantly clean our homes and wash the dishes. The artist is convinced that in order to change something, one must act in the political sphere.
Serhiy Zhadan helped build bridges between Professor Klaus Staeck and Ukraine – he translated texts for the Ukrainian edition of the catalogue and also conducted an extensive interview with the artist.
Another reason for launching the nationwide project specifically in Kharkiv is that the “4th Block” Association of Designers and Graphic Artists has long been actively working with similar themes here. Therefore, a presentation of works by the association’s artists will take place a week before the official opening, on March 29 – in the form of direct action, with posters displayed on the street in front of the gallery.
A press conference with Klaus Staeck is scheduled for April 5 at 16:00 at the Municipal Gallery (Kharkiv, 15 Chernyshevska St.). Press accreditation by phone: +38 050 811 45 13 or by email: kh.mgallery@gmail.com