Oksana Yushko – Migratory Restlessness

Based on research conducted along the Kiel Canal, Oksana Yushko explores the entanglements of commodity flows, migration movements, and ecological systems. In the exhibition ZUGUNRUHE – MIGRATORY RESTLESSNESS, the artist adopts a non-human perspective, linking movements and infrastructures across species, spaces, and political orders.

At the center of the exhibition, presented in the container space 40ft on the forecourt of Deichtorhallen Hamburg, lies an expansive video and sound installation: across five monitors, ships pass by; their repetitive gestures of movement form a visual choreography. This directs attention to a landscape that appears idyllic while simultaneously functioning as a key transport corridor for goods and military traffic in Northern Europe.

The installation is complemented by newly produced works based on historical material that is recontextualized as ready-mades. Throughout the exhibition space, connecting lines point to intersystemic networks of relationships that shape our present and extend into the future.

The exhibition’s title, »Zugunruhe« (Migratory Restlessness), refers to the nervous state experienced by migratory birds immediately before departure. In behavioral biology experiments, this phenomenon is studied using so-called Emlen funnels–paper-lined devices in which the birds’ agitation leaves traces and scratches. Yet among humans, too, nervous systems as well as political and ecological tensions coalesce into an omnipresent state of unrest.

Curated by Viktoria Rochambeau, Sarah Gramotke, and Vilja Gunzelmann–curatorial trainees at the House of Photography and in Exhibition Management at the Hall for Contemporary Art.

The exhibition is made possible by Volontärspreis Y 2026 of the Young Friends Group of the Cultural Foundation of the German Federal States (Junger Freundeskreis der Kulturstiftung der Länder)

Oksana Yushko is a multidisciplinary artist born in Ukraine whose practice spans photography, video, sculpture, and installation. Her works are based on site-specific documentary research, which she develops particularly in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, the Baltic region, and the greater Hamburg area. She is currently studying photography with Tobias Zielony at the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg.

A recurring aspect of her work is the critical engagement with historical narratives, through which she addresses themes of migration and the complex of post-traumatic experience. The interplay between global conditions and local experiences structures her investigations into border regimes and territorial spatial orders. At the core of her artistic practice lies the complex relationship between culture and nature in the context of crises and conflicts.

At its new location on the forecourt of Deichtorhallen Hamburg, the container space 40ft will henceforth serve as a venue showcasing a diverse range of collaborative projects within the urban space. As part of a comprehensive rebranding initiative, the container now presents itself under the new name 40ft and features a refined visual identity. The launch is marked by the exhibition ZUGUNRUHE by Oksana Yushko. For collaboration inquiries, please feel free to contact Simon Wyrwol via wyrwol@deichtorhallen.de.

The 40ft container is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free admission.

The exhibition OKSANA YUSHKO – ZUGUNRUHE will be temporarily closed from June 26 to 28, 2026.