A multimedia artist, architect, performer, and activist born in 1988 in Kerch, Crimea. After Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, she was unable to return home and lived between Kyiv and European countries as an internally displaced person. Kulikovska studied at the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture in Kyiv and Konstfack University in Stockholm. Her work often focuses on themes of body, borders, politics, and identity, particularly through performances and sculptures.

Maria Kulikovska’s “Crimea Raft” performance featured a traveling parliament for displaced persons in the form of a life raft with a neon sign, on which the artist lived for several days. This project aimed to draw attention to the vulnerability of displaced persons and call for societal empathy, while also serving as a meeting place for discussions and conversations.