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“Ukrainian Art Today – New Experience of War and Life.” Exhibition in the Polish city of Kazimierz Dolny.

10.06.2023 - 30.06.2023

“Ukrainian Art Today: The New Experience of War and Life”

 

Painting, Graphics, Photography, Video Art

 

June 10-30, 2023, Kazimierz Dolny, Poland

 

Participating Artists:

 

Sergiy Alimov

Stanislav Hedzhevich

Mykhailo Zhukov

Ihor Ilyinsky

Yevheniya Morgulian

Artem Pohrebnyi

Eduard Yashin

 

Volodymyr Bisov

Max Skzhechkovsky (Kazimierz Dolny)

 

Vlas Byelov

Artem Volokitin

Yulia Holub

Tetiana Malinovska

Roman Minin

Olha Fedorova

Oleksiy Yalovega

 

Curators: Tetiana Tumasyan, MG, Kharkiv

                   Max Skzhechkovsky, Kazimierz Dolny

 

Coordinators: Daria Herasimova, MG, Kharkiv

               Pavlo Yanushek, Kazimierz Dolny

 

Project Manager: Olga Pishel, Stieglitz-Zellendorf Twin Cities Association, Berlin.

 

Ukraine and Poland share a long history of friendly relations, encompassing numerous significant cultural events. In our time, when Kharkiv and all of Ukraine are going through a challenging wartime period, cooperation with a Polish gallery in Kazimierz Dolny, initiated by a brotherhood organization based in Berlin that brings together cultural activists from Germany, Ukraine, and Poland to support and develop cultural ties between these countries, takes on special significance. Thus, the main goal of the exhibition is not only to achieve important professional objectives but also to provide Kharkiv artists and the gallery with an opportunity to join the wider European cultural community, express their active creative and civic positions, and draw the attention of the European audience to the culture and contemporary art of a country experiencing a military conflict.

 

The exhibition, prepared by the Municipal Gallery of Kharkiv in partnership with the VOVATANYA gallery, showcases the unwavering resilience of a city enduring the harsh consequences of warfare yet refusing to succumb to difficulties, continuing its existence and creative activities.

 

This exhibition brings together talented artists belonging to different generations and working in various artistic directions and genres. An important connecting element of the project is the fact that all these artists have deep roots in Kharkiv. They are graduates of different years from the Kharkiv Academy of Arts and have been collaborating fruitfully with the municipal gallery for a long time. These gifted artists possess not only mastery but also exceptional sensitivity to the challenges of the present. Living and working in their hometown, they enrich their visual art forms and offer their own creative interpretations of events unfolding in Ukraine within the framework of this exhibition. In turn, despite the difficulties of war, the Municipal Gallery of Kharkiv continues to present the works of these talented artists on various partner platforms and in different countries. It fulfills an important role in cultural diplomacy, showcasing the art and creative power of Ukraine. This exhibition continues this direction and serves as a unique outpouring of intellectual and creative energy from Kharkiv as a whole today.

In the first section of the exhibition, the curators intentionally focused on the works of artists from Kharkiv, created in the pre-war years. The oil paintings of these talented artists, like transparent mirrors, continuously reveal the grandeur of the free city through their multi-layered plasticity, vibrant colors, and deep artistic interpretation. These artworks captivate the viewer, presenting a wide range of impressions that encompass urban landscapes of Kharkiv and other cities, plein-air sketches of the native nature, still lifes, and genre compositions. The works of I. Ilyinsky, A. Pogrebnyi, M. Zhukov, S. Hedzevych, Ye. Morgulian, and Ye. Yashin showcased in the exhibition demonstrate technical skill, expressive composition, and profound symbolism that conveys the tranquility and harmony of the city during peacetime, as well as the delicate beauty manifested in every brushstroke.

 

In the second section of the exhibition, Kharkiv is presented through photography as a unique visual reflection. This collection is the result of the skill and creative vision of two talented photographers who have enriched our perception of the city, conveying its unique energy and characteristics through their lenses. The first photographer is Volodymyr Bysov, a renowned Ukrainian photo artist and author of fifteen photo albums about Kharkiv, its history, and the region. This artist witnessed how the free city flourished and developed until February 24, 2022, with its prominent constructivist architecture, wide streets, and spacious squares. The second photographer is Max Skzhechkovsky, a Polish master of photography who visited Kharkiv in the spring of the previous year. His photographs depict the suffering and destruction that befell Kharkiv.

 

The third section of the exhibition unveils the world of media art. It showcases video art created by young talented authors during the past year of the war. As an example, the media collage by Vlas Belov manifests expressiveness and vividness, filled with horror and anxiety, conveying the reality of challenging times for millions of people. This creative artifact presents personal photo documentation from Kharkiv captured during the city’s most tragic days, as well as pre-war videos protesting against the conflict and destruction, honoring the heroism of defense fighters. In the video works of Yu. Holub, T. Malinovska, and O. Fedorova, the pain of war is present in a feminine emotional perception. And the works of O. Yaloveha, A. Volokitin, and R. Minin carry a deep philosophical context, raising questions about the essence of war, reflections on life, and undeniable mortal reality.

 

The media segment of the exhibition, presented as an independent exhibition project, recently met with the audience in Poznan.

 

 

Details

Start:
10.06.2023
End:
30.06.2023