︎

BY  .   LESIA PČOŁKA
EN  .   LESIA PCHOLKA
PL  .   LESIA PCZOŁKA



email me:
les.pcholka@gmail.com 

 

Lesia Pcholka is a visual artist born in Belarus (1989),
currently lives and works in Berlin/DE and Bielsk Podlaski/PL

︎︎︎ Founder and Memory Sister of the VEHA archive   


Pcholka’s work bridges archival practice, migration narratives, and social transformation, using photography, video, and installations to examine undocumented histories and political trauma. Her projects connect cultural heritage with contemporary migration and displacement, reflecting on identity and resilience in the face of authoritarianism and exile.




SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2024 – Great Stone. Hoast artist-run space / curated by Ekaterina Shapiro-Obermair and Wolfgang Obermair (Vienna, Austria)
2022 – Weakness Street. Günter Grass Gallery / curated by Anna Łazar (Gdańsk, Poland)  
2016 – Visual Diary. National Centre of Contemporary Arts (Minsk, Belarus)   


BIO

Lesia Pcholka received the basics of academic painting at the Art School in Baryssau, Belarus. In 2017, she graduated from the Minsk Innovation University with a degree in Social Psychology and participated in several international education programs, including: 10 workshops, The Ў Gallery (2016); Biz4all, TNU Network University and ODB Brussels (2016 - 2017); ArtPlatform, European Cultural Foundation (2018 - 2019); MATCH, Adam Mickiewicz Institute (2019); Creative Enterprise, Nesta (2018); Sputnik Photos Mentoring Programme (2020); The East-European School of Political Studies (2020 - 2021).  


From 2009 to 2013, Lesia Pcholka worked as a photographer and collaborated with independent Belarusian media. In 2017, she founded VEHA Archive, a platform dedicated to the research and preservation of vernacular archival photography, recognising it as a key element of Belarusian visual history and cultural heritage. In 2018-2020 she was a member of the Belarusian Association of Photographers. In 2020-2021 she taught the course "Visual History of Everyday Life" at the European College of Liberal Arts in Belarus. In 2021-2024 she was a mentor in the Social Camp educational project. 


Lesia Pcholka's works are part of several collections, including the IoDeposito Gallery (Italy), the Günter Grass Gallery (Poland) and private collections in Belarus, Poland and Germany.




LINKS

– KALEKTAR platform. Platform on Belarusian Contemporary Art   

– PlatformB. Place for artists in exile. Germany  

– ANTIWARCOALITION.ART 
International platform of cultural workers against the war. Lesia Pcholka's took part in the following exhibitions: 2024 Safety as Collective Practice / Revolutionale Festival #SenseOfSafety (Leipzig, Germany); 2023 Sovereignty Reimagined  #sovereignty reimagined (New York, USA); 2023 nicht Unser Krieg #weltkunstzimmer (Dusseldorf, Germany); 2022 When Language Is Lost: Possibilities of Art in the Face of War #zkm kubus (Berlin, Germany); 2022 Coalition / Коаліція / Koalicja / Кааліцыя  #domie (Poznań, Poland); 2022 ZKM One week screening #zkm screening (Berlin, Germany) and others 




BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS

2024
– DESCENT INTO THE MARSH. ISBN 978-3-00-081038-1 Author Lesia Pcholka, design Karolina Pietrzyk and Tobias Wenig, editor Black Seeds in Hong Kong, curator Katarzyna Zielinska / zusa gGmbH 
– FROM THE FOLDINGS #0. Directors David Liver and Michael Kaethler | A report on Creative Freedom and Freedom of expression. The Other Session project    
– Hjärnstorm magazine #156 | REPRESSIONENS MINNE Lesia Pcholka, translator Katerina Zolotova 
2023 – EIKON art magazine #123. ISBN 978-3-904083-16-4  Photography between Art, Documentation and Activism | Text by Simon Mraz | Photos by Lesia Pcholka and Sofia Mirolyubova

2022 – NO.10 Sputnik Photos Mentoring Programme. ISBN 987-83-956367-6-9 | Curator Adam Pańczuk. Coordination Marzena Michałek-Dąbrowska  

2021 – The Strike Newspaper #5. ISBN 978-83-956367-3-8 | The Archive of Public Protests (APP). Belarussian solidarity protests in Poland 

2020 – pARTisanka #34 | An almanac of contemporary Belarusian culture. ISBN 978-985-7209-27-9 




RESIDENCES & SCHOLARSHIPS

2025 – Gaude Polonia. Arsenal Gallery (Bialystok , Poland) 
2023
– Memory Work. Bundesstiftung Aufarbeitung / CISR e. V. Berlin (Berlin, Germany) 
– IASPIS. The International Artists Studio Program (Stockholm, Sweden)
2022
– Q21. MuseumsQuartier (Vienna, Austria)
– FLOW / PRZEPŁYW (Wisła river, Poland)
2021
– ICORN. Gallery Günter Grass (Gdansk, Poland)
– Galeria Arsenal (Bialystok, Poland)
– Brno AIR. House of Arts (Brno, Czech Republic)
2020 – Recreation on the Borderland / KX Space (Zalesie, Belarus)
2019
– SOUND iD project. Ukrainian Cultural Foundation (Slavska, Ukraine)
– Gaude Polonia. NCK / Fundacja Archeologia Fotografii (Warsaw, Poland) 



SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2025
– Book Launch: DESCENT INTO THE MARSH. alpha nova & galerie futur (Berlin, Germany)
2024 
– Long-distance Relationships. Gallery KVOST / curated by Zofia nierodzińska and Stephan Koal (Berlin, Germany)  
– The OTHER SESSION. Docks Cantieri Cucchini. During the 60th Venice Biennale / curated by David Liver and Michael Kaethler (Venice, Italy)
– United Nations. Galeria WY / curated by Joanna Szumacher (Łódź, Poland)  
– Sometimes i hold onto the air. Galerie im Körnerpark / curated by Katharina von Hagenow, Uladzimir Hramovich & Paulina Olszewska (Berlin, Germany)
2023
– On the New. Hoast artist-run space at Belvedere 21. Museum of Contemporary Art / curated by Ekaterina Shapiro-Obermair and Wolfgang Obermair (Vienna, Austria) 
– LET IT SHINE. Beyond VEHA Photographic Archive. MOS. Municipal Art Center / curated by Vera Zalutskaya (Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland)
2022  
– BY LAW. Collaboration with artist Uladzimir Hramovich. Museum of Emigration / curated by Maksymilian Bochenek, SUPLEMENT project (Gdynia, Poland) 
– VERSSchmuggel Belarus Deutschland. Galerie intershop / curated by Louise Walleneit (Leipzig, Germany)
– No.10. Alumni of the Sputnik Photos Mentor Program. FAF Gallery / сurated by Jan Brykczyński (Warsaw, Poland)  
– Belarusian female artists. Dialog between the generations. VEHA Archive. Gallery KVOST / curated by Maya Hristova and Jewgeni Roppel (Berlin, Germany)
– Distant Tolerable Murder. Collaboration with artist Valentyna Petrova / curated by Anna Łazar and Lada Nakonechna, with the assistance of Museum of Art in Łódź (Berlin, Germany)  
– The Code of Presence: Belarusian Protest Embroideries and Textile Patterns. University of Michigan Library / сurated by Sasha Razor  (Michigan, United States)
2021
– OPA #12 Kolonia Artystów. Dolne Miasto / curated by Sylwester Galuschka (Gdansk, Poland)
– Belarus – Screams of the Silenced. The Grey Space in the Middle. Den Haag (The Hague, Netherlands)
– War, Revolution and Protest in the Female Lens. Dom Norymberski / curated by Iwona Demko and Renata Kopyto (Krakow, Poland)
– Every Day. Art. Solidarity. Resistance. Gallery Mystetskyi Arsenal / curated by Aleksei Borisionok, Andrei Dureika, Marina Naprushkina, Sergey Shabohin, Antonina Stebur and Maxim Tyminko (Kyiv, Ukraine)
– Białoruś: Marsz Wolności. Kordegarda Gallery / curated by Joanna Kinowska (Warsaw, Poland)  
– Practicing Revolution. Sinema Transtopia / curated by Marina Naprushkina and Agnieszka Kilian (Berlin, Germany)
– Freedom, Pain and Hope. KLEISTER / curated by Katja Haustein and Franca Wohlt (Berlin, Germany)
– Courage and Resistance in Belarus. Outdoor Exhibition (Copenhagen, Denmark)
– Cykl ADAPTACJE. Outdoor Exhibition. MOS. Municipal Art Center / curated by Marta Gendera, Gustaw Nawrocki and Bartosz Nowak (Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland)
2020 
– Not/funny pictures. KX Space / сurated by Lizaveta Michalchuk (Brest, Belarus)
– Belarus.Protest.Art. Gallery 59 Rivoli (Paris, France) 
– Belarus Protest. Perron West (Utrecht, Netherlands)
– Belarusian Sundays in Red and White. Henry Dunant Museum (Heiden, Switzerland)
– FEMINISM IS. Centre of Gender Culture / Bridging feminisms project (Kharkov, Ukraine)
– Wear Zones. KX Space / curated by Lizaveta Michalchuk (Brest, Belarus)
2019 
– Tam gdzie Teraz. VEHA Archive. Galeria Labirynt / curated by Waldemar Tatarczuk (Lublin, Poland)
– Maiden names. MOS. Municipal Art Center / curated by Alina Dzeravianka (Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland)
– Bachelorette Night. VEHA Archive. FAF Gallery / curated by Marta Przybyło (Warsaw, Poland)
– Dziavočy viečar. VEHA Archive. KX Space / curated by Lizaveta Michalchuk (Brest, Belarus)
– Poetic Dissident. IoDeposito B#S Gallery / curated by Chiara Isadora Artico (Treviso, Italy)   
2018 
– Here and now. Squat space (Minsk, Belarus) 
– Mater Materia. KX Space / curated by Lizaveta Michalchuk (Brest, Belarus)  
– One Can Not Be Too Careful. Space Eve's Ribs (St Petersburg, Russia)
2017
– Hold on. Let go. AFF Gallery / curated by Franca Wohlt (Berlin, Germany)
– Memory Lands. Museo Della Battaglia, IoDeposito B#S Gallery / curated by Chiara Isadora Artico (Italy, Treviso)  
– One Can Not Be Too Careful. Lock In Gallery / curated by Ania PsH, Raddy Junova and Rodina art group (Brighton, UK)
2016 – To be like I. Gallery of Contemporary art Ў / curated by Zhanna Gladko (Minsk, Belarus)  
2013 – Strukturyzacyja. Gallery of Contemporary art Ў / curated by Natalia Harachaja (Minsk, Belarus)  




FESTIVALS

2025
– Festival Circulation(s). CENTQUATRE-PARIS / curated by Mano Bourcart, Clara Chalou, Carine Dolek, Laetitia Guillemin, Marie Guillemin, Emmanuelle Halkin, Claire Pathé and Delphine Rodet (Paris, France)
2024
– Borders in Zenit. Społem fest. Club Zenit / curated by Katarzyna Rózniak-Szabelska (Bialystok, Poland)

– We’ll Hold a Wedding on Your Graves. Beyond VEHA Photographic Archive. Copenhagen Photo Festival / curated by Vera Zalutskaya (Copenhagen. Danmark) 

2023

– LIMINARIUM. Performensk at PlatformB. Theaterhaus / curated by Anna Bakinovskaia (Stuttgart, Germany)

– 21. SURVIVAL Art Review ERZAC. Fundacja Art Transparent / curators Michał Bieniek, Anna Kołodziejczyk, Małgorzata Miśniakiewicz, Ewa Pluta, Daniel Brożek (Wroclaw, Poland)

2022 
– Belarus: The Walk to Freedom. Festival Swiatopoglad. Centrum Kultury Dwór Artusa (Toruń, Poland)
– Echoes. Voices from Belarus III, ECLAT Hybrid Festival. Hospitalhof church / curated by Christine Fischer (Stuttgart, Germany)

2021
– Echoes. Voices from Belarus II, ECLAT Festival, Karlskaserne Art Center / сurated by Christine Fischer (Ludwigsburg, Germany)  
– Echoes. Voices from Belarus. Festival ECLAT (Stuttgart, Germany)

2020 – Women United. Interactive concert (Stuttgart, Germany) 

2018 – Triennial of Photography Hamburg. OSTLOOK, Gallery 21 / curated by Jewgeni Roppel (Hamburg, Germany)

2017
– PRAFOTA. CECH Gallery / curated by Anna Shpakova (Minsk, Belarus)
– Work Hard! Play Hard!Transmission. Palianina-Pcholka (Minsk, Belarus)




ART FAIRS

2024
– BAAM#08 / Berlin Artists Art Market (Berlin, Germany)
– Anarchist Black Cross Belarus, online auction / abc-belarus.org
2022
– Stockholm Independent Art Fair. KX Space / сurated by Lizaveta Michalchuk (Stockholm, Sweden)
2021
– Fundacja Humanosh. Piękna Gallery / onebid.pl
2020
– Fundacja Humanosh. Piękna Gallery / onebid.pl
– VLADEY, online auction / vladey.net








THE VEHA ARCHIVE 



email us:
archive.veha@gmail.com

— a self-organised initiative that unites different social communities in the study and preservation of vernacular archival photography as a cultural heritage and one of the key elements of the invisible history of Belarus. The VEHA platform is the creation of a horizontal memory institute. 

Memory Sisters: Lesia Pcholka, Asia Cimafiejeva and Dzijana Pinčuk



online archive ︎︎︎  veha-archive.org




BOOKS

2022 – “Ludzi Lesu” by VEHA Archive. ISBN 978-83-65133-44-1
2021 – “Dziavočy viečar & Apošni fotazdymak” by VEHA Archive.
ISBN 987-985-7209-75-0, ISBN 987-985-7209-76-7
2018 – “Najlepšy bok” by VEHA Archive. ISBN 978-985-7165-83-4




 
EXHIBITIONS

2024
– Ruins of Belarus: Uladzimir Hramovich / curated by Katharina von Hagenow. UQBAR (Berlin, Germany)
– Flashes of time – Belarusian photography books and zines / curated by Olga Mzhelskaya. Fotofestiwal Lodz (Lodz, Poland)
– Belarusische Kultur unter Druck : Lesia Pcholka / curated by Laura Worsch. SomoS Arts (Berlin, Germany)
2023
– We’ll Hold a Wedding on Your Graves. Beyond VEHA Photographic Archive : Kate Ngan Wa Ao · Rozalina Busel · Uladzimir Hramovich · Georg Jagunov · Olga Anna Markowska · Lesia Pcholka · Katarzyna Sienkiewicz / curated by Vera Zalutskaya. Copenhagen Photo Festival (Copenhagen. Danmark)
– LET IT SHINE. Beyond VEHA Photographic Archive : Kate Ngan Wa Ao · Rozalina Busel · Olga Anna Markowska · Lesia Pcholka · Katarzyna Sienkiewicz / curated by Vera Zalutskaya. MOS. Municipal Art Center (Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland)
– VEHA archive. Konstepidemin : Lesia Pcholka / curated by Denis Romanovski and Mona Wallström (Gothenburg, Sweden)
2022 – Belarusian female artists. Dialog between the generations : Lesia Pcholka / curated by Maya Hristova and Jewgeni Roppel. Gallery KVOST (Berlin, Germany)
2021 – Festival SPRAVA. Museum of the Belarusian Folk Art / curated by Maxim Shumilin (Raubichi, Belarus)
2019
– Bachelorette Night : Lesia Pcholka / curated by Marta Przybyło. FAF Gallery (Warsaw, Poland)
– Dziavočy viečar : Lesia Pcholka / curated by Lizaveta Michalchuk. KX Space (Brest, Belarus)

– Heritagization. Gallery 54, Project STATUS / curated by Alina Dzeravianka (Sweden, Gothenburg) 
– Tam gdzie Teraz : Lesia Pcholka / curated by Waldemar Tatarczuk. Galeria Labirynt (Lublin, Poland)

2018 – Month of Photography in Minsk The Ў Gallery / curated by Lesia Pcholka (Minsk, Belarus)
2017 – Month of Photography in Minsk. Gallery Canteen XYZ / curated by Anna Bundeleva (Minsk, Belarus)  




AWARDS

2024
– I place. Michal Anempadystaw Prize. PEN Belarus. VEHA's book "Ludzi Lesu", nominated for the best book cover. Designer Jana Galushkina, curator Lesia Pcholka 
2022
– Shortlist. Michal Anempadystaw Prize. PEN Belarus/VEHA book "Apošni fotazdymak", nominated for the best book cover. Designer Sasha Luchyna, curator Lesia Pcholka
2018
– Shortlist. RADA Awards. VEHA project "The Best Side" is nominated in the category "Youth Initiative / Cultural Conservation Project". Project coordinator Lesia Pcholka
– III place "Publication of the Year". IMF Award, Month of Photography in Minsk. The VEHA book "The Best Side". Curator Lesia Pcholka
– Shortlist. Michal Anempadystaw Prize. PEN Belarus. VEHA's book "The Best Side," nominated for best cover. Designer Sasha Luchyna, curator Lesia Pcholka
– I place Biz4all for the VEHA "Family Book" project. ODB Brussels (Belgium) in partnership with TNU Network University (Netherlands). Course author Lesia Pcholka
2017
– II place "Exhibition / photo project of the year" VEHA "The Best Side". IMF Award, Month of Photography in Minsk. Curator Anna Bundeleva, project coordinator Lesia Pcholka