Public Defence Doctoral Thesis: Natalia Drobot
Natalia Drobot has the pleasure to invite you to the public defence of her doctoral thesis on 05 September 2025: Echoes of Soviet Identity. Visualising Soviet Heritage in Contemporary Art: Post-Soviet Nostalgia and the Interaction of History, Memory, and Identity.
Abstract
Echoes of Soviet Identity: Visualising Soviet Heritage in Contemporary Art is a doctoral project in the arts by Natalia Drobot that investigates post-Soviet nostalgia—often referred to as Ostalgie—and its influence on the visual culture of former Soviet and socialist countries.
The research combines academic inquiry with an extensive body of original artworks, ranging from ceramics and sculpture to photography and installation. Through this artistic research, Drobot examines how contemporary artists—including herself—revisit Soviet symbols, everyday relics, and collective memory. The project engages
with themes such as the fate of Lenin monuments, the militarization of daily life, and the aesthetic traces of socialism in domestic objects. Drawing on the writings of Svetlana Boym and other theorists, the work distinguishes between reflective and restorative nostalgia,
proposing a visual language to articulate the ongoing tensions between history and identity.
- Prof. ir. arch. Stefan Devoldere (dean of the faculty Architecture and Arts, UHasselt)
- Prof. dr. David Huycke (promotor, Hasselt University, PXL University of Applied Sciences)
- dr. Joannes Késenne (co-promotor, PXL University of Applied Sciences and Arts)
- Caroline Coolen (PXL University of Applied Sciences and Arts)
- Ria Pacquée
- dr. Joes Segal (Utrecht University)
- dr. Agnès Rammant (Art Withour Bars)
- Maaike Leyn (CVO Gent)
Exhibition
The accompanying exhibition offers a personal yet critical interpretation of Soviet heritage, shaped by the artist’s position as a Belarusian emigrant living in Belgium. By combining personal memory, theoretical framing, and artistic experimentation, Echoes of Soviet Identity opens a broader dialogue on how art can mediate historical trauma, longing, and cultural transformation in post-Soviet contexts.
Visit the expo between September 5th - 12th, Monday to Friday from 10h00 - 18h00, PXL MAD C-Blok De KOOI, Elfde-Liniestraat 25, 3500 Hasselt, Belgium.
Date and locations:
- Friday September 5th 2025
- Defence: 16h00 - 18h00
- Opening exhibition: 19h00
- PXL MAD, Elfde Liniestraat 25, 3500 Hasselt
Registration
You can register for this symposium and/or the PhD defence of Natalia Drobot via this Google Form.
Please fill in this form before August 15th 2025.