Vsevolod Kovalevskij b. 1988 Vilnius, Lithuania. Lives and works in Vilnius, Oslo and London. His practice is based on critical thought and humour, which rethinks the ever-changing human condition, and his work is informed by collective/individual memory and empathic inquiry, creating tools to better question the conditions of the surrounding environment. This results in process-based installations, video works, objects that establish a relationship between the active viewer, the artist and members of the wider community. In 2020, Kovalevsky opened an artist-run space InTheCloseT⃣. This space is located in the closet of the artist's apartment in Fiskergata 2. From early 2022, InTheCloset moved to a walk-in closet in Oslo, and in 2023 the closet was installed in the former changing room of railway engineers on the grounds of Vilnius railway station. The name of the space is a double entendre, playing on the well-known expression "in the closet", which is used to describe a person who is unwilling or unable to publicly acknowledge his or her sexual or gender orientation. This title creates the basis for a space dedicated to showing artistic projects that question the meanings of gender, identity, visibility, non-discussion, discomfort, censorship, inclusion or lack thereof. Ultimately, its aim is to expand and play with what it means to be in the closet. Vsevolods participated in the Rupert Education Programme in Vilnius (2014), holds a BA and MA from Vilnius Academy of Arts (2015), an MA from Tromsø Academy of Contemporary Art (2018) and an MA from Goldsmiths University (2018). Recent exhibitions include After Affect, Kurant, Tromsø, NO - 2017; Dimensional Verge, National Gallery of Art, Vilnius, LT - 2015. Prior to his appointment as curator at Tromsø Kunstforening, he worked as assistant curator at the Contemporary Art Centre in Vilnius, where he worked on a number of projects. Vsevolod was one of the initiators of the Lithuania-based artist collective YoungPoorArtists (2013), and they were co-directors of the project spaces Malonioji 6 and Sodu 4 in Vilnius from 2013 to 2015.
