Mykola Lebed
area: Music, Sound Art, Research
Key Facts
nationality
Ukrainearea
Music, Sound Art, Researchresidence
Berlinrecommending institution
tranzit.org / ERSTE Stiftungtime period
January 2025 - February 2025Mykola Lebed (b. 1992) is a multidisciplinary artist specializing in music and sound, working at the intersection of acoustic and electronic music. His work blends elements of minimalism, free jazz, improvisation, ambient music, and field recording.
Classically trained as a pianist and saxophonist at Rivne Music College, Mykola has expanded beyond classical music to explore the psychedelic, metal, and free-improvisation scenes in Ukraine. He has been an active participant in the Ukrainian Improvisers Orchestra and numerous collectives, performing both as a full-time and session member.
Since beginning his solo career, Mykola’s work has been presented at venues including MEK Berlin, Kunsthaus Hamburg, Theater Magdeburg, Lviv Municipal Art Gallery, Dnipro Center for Contemporary Culture, and Ivano-Frankivsk Puppet Theatre. He has also created soundtracks for theatre productions at TD Berlin and Lviv State Puppet Theatre, as well as for short films and video works.
Mykola Lebed's interest in the folklore of Ukrainian emigrants was sparked by his personal experience in the fifth wave of Ukrainian emigration. His exploration focuses on individuals who have moved both by choice and by the force of war. Emigration and integration are never simple processes, and by examining the examples of previous waves, it becomes evident that diasporic art and communities often become disconnected and unfamiliar to their communities of origin. This disconnection has inspired Mykola to explore the cultural narratives of Ukrainian emigrants, blending auditory and visual storytelling techniques with intuitive and unconscious creation to capture the evolving state of folklore, now buried under the layers of globalization and pop culture.
This long-term research project is being developed in collaboration with Ukrainian artist Jura Golik (based in Graz, Austria) and is supported by the "Scattered Communities" artistic program of Insha Osvita & Asortymenta Kimnata, under the curation of Alona Karavai, Serge Klymko, and Yaroslav Futymskyi.