Maria Kulikovska is a multimedia artist, architect, actionist-performer, researcher, and lecturer. She was born in 1988 in Kerch, Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukraine. After the annexation of Crimea by russia federation she lived and worked in Kyiv, Donetsk, Malmo, Liverpool, London, Munich and Stockholm in exile (after the occupation of the Crimea Peninsula in spring 2014 the artist never went back to her hometown). Last 2 years Maria together with her partner and co-author Uleg Vinnichenko based in Kyiv permanently, but nearly one month after 24 February 2022 Maria together with her newborn baby was forced to flee from Ukraine to Linz, Austria with the help of Dr. Alfred Weidinger and Nathalie Hoyos with Rainald Schumacher. From the 16th of March 2022 Maria with her baby based and worked at the special art residency, organized by OÖ Landes Kultur and Francisco Carolinum Museum in Linz.
Maria received a master's degree at the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture (2007-2013) in Kyiv, Ukraine (MA Architecture of Buildings and Structures), and she also has a second master's degree in Fine Arts at Konstfack University, Stockholm, Sweden. Kulikovska used to work in China and Switzerland as an architect, but in the meanwhile returned to art as performances and sculpture, which were internationally acclaimed. In 2010 and 2012, the artist made one of her most important art projects titled «Army of Clones» and «Homo Bulla – Human as Soap Bubble». But in 2014, a group of pro-russian terrorists shot at soap sculptures of Kulikovska that were exhibited at Izolyatsia Art Centre. The art center was captured and looted by the self-proclaimed "DNR" militants and Maria Kulikovska was placed on the list of banned, «degenerative» artists in russia because of her non-binary and political art.
The political reality of Ukraine obliges Maria to look for solidarity beyond the country's borders – in EU, where, through the Ukrainian-Swedish residence RutaRuna, she met with the Swedish-Assyrian artist J.S., who became her partner at that time in the same-sex marriage-as-performance «Body and Borders» (2014-2017), bringing the themes of freedom of woman's body, choice, queer, borders and war, women's place from occupied territory in the western civilization, and different social and political issues up. During 2014-2022 Maria Kulikovska has organized and made dozen political performances and actions and participated in the various exhibitions and events of reputable cultural institutions and art collections in different countries such as Accelerator Art Center, Stockholm, Sweden; Francisco Carolinum, Linz, Austria; Neue National Gallery, Berlin, Germany; Ludvig Museum, Budapest, Hungary; Q Collection, Budapest/Hong Kong; Saatchi Gallery, London, UK; Mystetskiy Arsenal, Kyiv, Ukraine, Crimean Platform, Kyiv, Ukraine; National Odesa Fine Arts Museum, Ukraine; Deutsche Art Collection Telekom, Bonn, Germany; Krolikarnia National Museum of Sculpture, Warsaw, Poland… etc;
also currently teaches as a guest professor at Brno Art Academy, recently gave a public talk at Yale University, USA; The School of Humanities and Performing Arts, De Montfort University, UK; Konstfack University, Stockholm Sweden; Liverpool John Moors University, UK.
She was also nominated for several awards, fellowships, and art residences.
The artist founded the international art group and open feminist art platform «Flowers of Democracy» in 2015 and in 2017 together with Uleg Vinnichenko began the School of Political Performance – an alternative independent platform for free art.
The second half of the 2016 year became the beginning of Maria Kulikovska's cooperation with Uleg Vinnichenko (8 March of 2017 is considered to be the official foundation date of the MKUV Studio).
Uleg Vinnichenko is an architect-engineer, developer and researcher of experimental innovative building materials and structures, entrepreneur.
He was born in Zavodske, Poltava region of Ukraine in 1978. His previous studio implemented a number of experimental projects in contemporary design, sculpture, and architecture before he got to work with his future partner and co-author Maria Kulikovska.
Uleg was the developer of the reconstruction and put into operation the historical public memorial of «Magdeburg Law Stairs» in Kyiv, Ukraine. His studio collaborated with the international elevator "Otis" company as a researcher and developer of new engineering structures and materials. Vinnichenko's studio also undertook restoration projects, developing social and private houses, and designed new materials and structures for the water collection systems in public spaces, which are internationally proclaimed.
Since 2017 Uleg Vinnichenko is the co-author, architect, CEO, and production director of all artworks by Maria Kulikovska.
At the end of December 2019, Maria Kulikovska and Uleg Vinnichenko created and headed the international non-binary art space GARAGE 33. Gallery-Shelter for contemporary art(ists) from «conflict?». They both became the co-architects of the art space, in which Maria Kulikovska serves as art director and curator, and Uleg Vinnichenko is CEO, architect, and producer. They planned to open this gallery during the summer of 2022, but the war by russia in Ukraine destroyed their plans.