VESELKA (KYIV, UKRAINE)
Emerging from Kyiv’s resilient underground, VESELKA stands as a beacon of queer resistance and celebration in the face of immense challenges faced by Ukraine.
Founded in 2018, this collective has rapidly become a vital force in Ukraine’s LGBTQ+ scene, using the transfor- mative power of rave culture to foster equality, tolerance, and freedom. In a country grappling with war and societal change, Veselka’s presence at WHOLE is more than just a musical showcase—it’s a profound statement of Ukrainian queer visibility on the global stage. Their jour- ney from Kyiv’s underground to WHOLE embodies the indomitable spirit of queer culture in Eastern Europe.
Stanislav Tweeman: “VESELKA (rainbow in Ukrainian) was founded in Kyiv in 2018 as a safe space for queer and open-minded people. From the first episode, club kids found a place where they could express themselves and be free without any judgment. The mission of VESELKA is to spread equality, tolerance, and freedom for open-min- ded people through the power of rave.
On the dance floor we are preparing a journey through 3 decades of groovy and trancy beats and a cherry on pie Vani Vachi’s live performance. During the whole WHOLE we would like to follow the flow and enjoy the experience in a full mode.”
Mixmag: How does VESELKA contribute to topics surrounding global music, local scenes, queer culture, international culture, diversity, inclusion, equity, or justi- ce?
Stanislav Tweeman: “We try to focus on the development of queer culture in Ukraine and the establishment of such basic concepts as tolerance and self-expression. If not in everyday life, then at least at parties, where not only members of the community feel free, but also straight people, for whom it is important for us to convey the nor- mality of being different from everyone else.
On an international scale, it is very important for us, as a Ukrainian collective, to continue to spread the word about what is happening in our country while the war is going on and to promote Ukrainian culture, showing that our values are much closer to European ones than they seem at first glance.”
Mixmag: Could you share a recent experience or initiative from your collective that you’re particularly proud of?
Stanislav Tweeman: “At the beginning of this year, we did a take-over at the Museum de Fundatie in the city of Zwolle, where we shared the experience and history of the formation of queer and rave culture in Ukraine, as well as showed the performance ‘1,000,000 Roses of Donbass,’ raising the topic of the ongoing war in Ukraine and its scale and consequences.
On the eve of the second anniversary of the great war, we held a large event in Brussels ‘SLAVA’ in collaboration with local queer communities, at which we managed to raise 10,000 euros in fundraising to support humanitarian foundations and queer organizations in Ukraine. Such events are very important both for the community and for Ukraine as a whole. We are very grateful to ever- yone involved and are now working on implementing a project aimed at supporting Ukrainian queer artists. Es- sentially this is a camp for visual artists and musicians to realize their projects and present them in Europe. We are currently looking for grants for this very important project for our culture.”
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