What's On? Editor’s choice
12 september, 2023
Feature
Exhibition «Rays and Shadows» at the Jump Gallery
Dates: 22.08.2023 — 22.09.2023
Address: Poltava, Monastyrskaya Street 3, CCA Jump
Operating Hours: Tue–Sun, 11:00–18:00
Ticket Price: Free Admission
Organizer(s): Jump Center for Contemporary Art
Curator(s): Artur Aroyan, Yevheniy Anychyn
According to the curators, this exhibition is dedicated to the phenomenon of photography (for which there is a corresponding Ukrainian word, «світлопис» or «svitlopys»). It is created by nature itself — by captured light in a dark camera chamber on a sensitive material. The photographer here is more of a medium, but a medium with creative ambitions, who somehow appropriates the shooting object and includes it in their collected Universe.
«This magic has been around for over 180 years, and although digital technologies have largely displaced the old light drawing, it has not disappeared, and it is even experiencing a new surge of mass interest. The attention to old photography methods is based not only on the desire to feel like an alchemist of imagery but also on entirely practical advantages. One of them is the authenticity of the original photograph, which cannot be altered later,» the project description states.
The curators mention the Englishman Roger Fenton, who almost 170 years ago photographed the Crimean War in Ukraine, thus pioneering the genre of war photography. The exhibition also features the work of another photographer documenting the contemporary war — Israeli Edward Kaprov.
Jump Gallery is an art space in Poltava, founded by Taras Gunchenko in 2015. It held exhibitions with the participation of Nikita Kadan, Max Khodak, Anton Sayenko, Yaroslav Futymsky, Mykola Rydny and many other artists.
«This magic has been around for over 180 years, and although digital technologies have largely displaced the old light drawing, it has not disappeared, and it is even experiencing a new surge of mass interest. The attention to old photography methods is based not only on the desire to feel like an alchemist of imagery but also on entirely practical advantages. One of them is the authenticity of the original photograph, which cannot be altered later,» the project description states.
The curators mention the Englishman Roger Fenton, who almost 170 years ago photographed the Crimean War in Ukraine, thus pioneering the genre of war photography. The exhibition also features the work of another photographer documenting the contemporary war — Israeli Edward Kaprov.
Jump Gallery is an art space in Poltava, founded by Taras Gunchenko in 2015. It held exhibitions with the participation of Nikita Kadan, Max Khodak, Anton Sayenko, Yaroslav Futymsky, Mykola Rydny and many other artists.
Exhibition-satellite of the 7th Biennale Internationale d'Art Non Objectif
Dates: 12.09.2023 — 03.10.2023
Address: Kyiv, Andriivskyi Uzviz 13-A, Bulgakov Museum
Operating Hours: Thu–Tue, 10:00–17:00
Ticket Price: Free Admission
Organizer(s): Kyiv Non Objective
Co-organizer(s): Bulgakov Museum
This exhibition is part of the 7th Biennale Internationale d'Art Non Objectif, which is taking place in the French city of Pont-de-Cle in its seventh edition this year. The exhibition can be viewed at the Les Moulins de Villancourt gallery from September 14 to November 18, 2023.
The Kyiv satellite exhibition opens on September 12 at the Bulgakov Museum. The following artists are represented: Tiberiy Silvashi, Myroslav Vaida, Olena Dombrovska, Badri Gubianuri, Serhiy Popov, Serhiy Momot, and Kostyantyn Rudeshko.
«In the Kyiv project, we have brought together artists with similar artistic views who were part of the “KNO” and “Alliance 22” groups at different times. This exhibition is a sign of respect for the long-term work of Roland Orépük, an artist, and curator who is currently fighting a serious illness. We admire his courage and wish him strength to overcome it,» says artist Myroslav Vaida.
Biennale Internationale d'Art Non Objectif focuses on sculpture and post-minimalism in painting. It takes place in France, in the city of Pont-de-Cle.
The Kyiv satellite exhibition opens on September 12 at the Bulgakov Museum. The following artists are represented: Tiberiy Silvashi, Myroslav Vaida, Olena Dombrovska, Badri Gubianuri, Serhiy Popov, Serhiy Momot, and Kostyantyn Rudeshko.
«In the Kyiv project, we have brought together artists with similar artistic views who were part of the “KNO” and “Alliance 22” groups at different times. This exhibition is a sign of respect for the long-term work of Roland Orépük, an artist, and curator who is currently fighting a serious illness. We admire his courage and wish him strength to overcome it,» says artist Myroslav Vaida.
Biennale Internationale d'Art Non Objectif focuses on sculpture and post-minimalism in painting. It takes place in France, in the city of Pont-de-Cle.
KNO (Kyiv Non Objective) is an art association founded by Ukrainian artists Tiberiy Silvashi, Badri Gubianuri, Olena Dombrovska, and Serhiy Popov in 2017. KNO closely collaborates with foreign artists and curators, including Billy Gruner (Australia), Susan Shuttan (USA), Richard Van der Aa (France), and Tilman Hoppstock (Germany). The group's goal is to continue the tradition and development of non-objective art in Ukraine and to create a multidisciplinary international platform.
Alliance 22 (formerly New Artistic Alliance) was a curatorial group that existed in Kyiv from 2012 to 2016. It was founded by Kyiv artists Badri Gubianuri, Kostyantyn Rudeshko, Tiberiy Silvashi, and Serhiy Momot. In 2015, Serhiy Popov joined them. The collective aimed to study and develop non-figurative art in Ukraine.
Lecture-Discussion «Electroacoustic Music: The Kyiv Context»
Date: 13.09.2023, 18:00
Address: Kyiv, Velyka Zhytomyrska Street 4, Department of Arts of Lesya Ukrainka Public Library
Ticket Price: Free Admission
Organizer(s): Lesya Ukrainka Public Library
Co-organizer(s): Association of Electroacoustic Music of Ukraine under the Composers' Union of Ukraine
Curator(s): Vika Fedorina
«Electroacoustic Music: The Kyiv Context» is part of the Lesya Ukrainka Public Library's «Sound Workshop» project. Within its framework, there will be a series of concerts, lectures, workshops, dedicated to electroacoustic music, its practice, theory, and history.
The first event will discuss the emergence of Ukrainian electroacoustic music, its important figures, and events. The discussion will be moderated by Ukrainian composer, musicologist, and award-winning artist Alla Zagaykevych.
«Through music, we can express delicate and rapidly changing things that belong to the inner world of a person, which may be impossible to express otherwise. Music itself is content, so its language is universal,» writes Zagaykevych in the event announcement.
Alla Zagaykevych is an electroacoustic composer who combines work in academic concert genres (symphonic, chamber, electroacoustic music, chamber opera, «Vyshyvannyi» opera) with contemporary multidisciplinary projects (audiovisual installations, performances, music for films and theatrical productions).
The first event will discuss the emergence of Ukrainian electroacoustic music, its important figures, and events. The discussion will be moderated by Ukrainian composer, musicologist, and award-winning artist Alla Zagaykevych.
«Through music, we can express delicate and rapidly changing things that belong to the inner world of a person, which may be impossible to express otherwise. Music itself is content, so its language is universal,» writes Zagaykevych in the event announcement.
Alla Zagaykevych is an electroacoustic composer who combines work in academic concert genres (symphonic, chamber, electroacoustic music, chamber opera, «Vyshyvannyi» opera) with contemporary multidisciplinary projects (audiovisual installations, performances, music for films and theatrical productions).
Exhibition «Immanently» by Volt Agapeev and Dima Tolkachov
Dates: 14.09.2023 — 15.10.2023
Address: Kyiv, Lavrska Street 10-12, Small Gallery of the Mystetskyi Arsenal
Operating Hours: Wed–Sun, 12:00–20:00
Ticket Price: Free Admission
Organizer(s): Mala Gallery of the Mystetskyi Arsenal
Co-organizer(s): NGO «Community of Mystetskyi Arsenal,» with the support of the Press, Education, and Culture Department of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine
Curator(s): Natasha Chychasova, Andriy Myroshnychenko, Anastasiia Harazd
The «Immanently» exhibition is the sixth part of the art dialogue project «One with Another. Spatial Dialogues» by the Laboratory of Contemporary Art «Mala Gallery of the Mystetskyi Arsenal.» It features two artists, Dima Tolkachov and Volt Agapeev.
«The project is an attempt to comprehend the feelings that the exhibition participants experienced on the eve of a full-scale war and during blackouts. These two periods, although separated in time, are imbued with anxious anticipation — the premonition of Russian invasion and the adaptation of everyday life to the power outage schedule. The inability to influence the situation creates tension between helplessness and the desire to resist. However, the artistic contemplation of one's own uncertainty becomes a zone of control amid constant uncertainty,» as stated in the project description.
Volt Agapeev (born in 1989, Ternopil) is a multidisciplinary artist. He has participated in numerous exhibitions and residency programs in Ukraine and abroad. His works are part of private collections and public spaces in Austria, Slovakia, Germany, and other countries. He often works with graphics, media art, and graffiti. In his works, the artist draws attention to the process of blurring the boundaries between human consciousness, technology, and nature. He lives and works in Kyiv.
«The project is an attempt to comprehend the feelings that the exhibition participants experienced on the eve of a full-scale war and during blackouts. These two periods, although separated in time, are imbued with anxious anticipation — the premonition of Russian invasion and the adaptation of everyday life to the power outage schedule. The inability to influence the situation creates tension between helplessness and the desire to resist. However, the artistic contemplation of one's own uncertainty becomes a zone of control amid constant uncertainty,» as stated in the project description.
Volt Agapeev (born in 1989, Ternopil) is a multidisciplinary artist. He has participated in numerous exhibitions and residency programs in Ukraine and abroad. His works are part of private collections and public spaces in Austria, Slovakia, Germany, and other countries. He often works with graphics, media art, and graffiti. In his works, the artist draws attention to the process of blurring the boundaries between human consciousness, technology, and nature. He lives and works in Kyiv.
Dima Tolkachov (born in 1989, Mala Vyska) is an artist who works with photography and uses it as material for conceptual typologies. He experiments with objects, videos, and digital collages. After February 24, he focused on finding metaphors that illustrate how war affects the perception of time and reality. He has participated in exhibition projects in Ukraine and abroad. He lives and works in Kyiv.
«One with Another. Spatial Dialogues» is a procedural project by the Laboratory of Contemporary Art «Small Gallery of the Mystetskyi Arsenal,» which resulted from discussions among representatives of the artistic community. Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the curators of the laboratory began collecting a mass of works by Ukrainian artists about the war—from 2014 to the present, which has transformed into the online archive «Ukraine in Flames.» During the work on the archive, the curators realized the importance of documenting not only artworks but also the processes and transformations in the artistic practices of authors, often remaining invisible.
Ukrainian Projects in Europe
Screening of Mykola Ridnyi's film «The District» at the Vienna Secession
Dates: 15.09.2023 — 12.11.2023
Address: Austria, Vienna, Vereinigung bildender Künstler*innen Wiener Secession Friedrichstraße 12 1010
Operating Hours: Tue–Sun, 10:00–18:00
Ticket Price: €12
Organizer(s): Artist-run space for contemporary art, Secession
Curator(s): Bettina Spörr
From September 15, the Vienna Secession will screen video works by Ukrainian artist Mykola Ridnyi titled «The District.» This is a very personal meditation on the war in the artist's native city of Kharkiv, specifically in the North Saltivka district.
«This is the district where I lived during my school years and studied at the Academy of Arts in Kharkiv. Since the beginning of 2022, this densely populated area has become the front line of the Russian invasion and has suffered significant damage from artillery strikes. Although some people have already returned from evacuation, the district still gives the impression of a ghost town. However, this is not a documentary film about the war but an immersion into my personal memories,» says Ridnyi.
The video (recorded on-site, distorted by pixel clouds) and edited photographs with drawings combine images of the past and present, external and internal landscapes, facts, and memories. The video is accompanied by a voiceover narration: a female voice recites the artist's memories of the places of his childhood and youth that no longer exist.
Mykola Ridnyi (born in 1985) is an artist from Kharkiv. He graduated from the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts in 2008. Long before that, Ridnyi played an important role in shaping the politically active art scene as an independent artist, curator, and author. He is a co-founder of the SOSka collective, whose artist-run gallery-laboratory, which existed from 2005 to 2012, was a key space in the local art infrastructure. After the project «Armed and Dangerous» (2017–2021), Ridnyi began developing a platform for collaboration between Ukrainian video artists and directors. In 2022–2023, he curated several programs showcasing Ukrainian cinema and video art at DAAD-Galerie (Berlin), MAXXI (Rome), Museum Folkwang (Essen), and the National Gallery (Sofia).
«This is the district where I lived during my school years and studied at the Academy of Arts in Kharkiv. Since the beginning of 2022, this densely populated area has become the front line of the Russian invasion and has suffered significant damage from artillery strikes. Although some people have already returned from evacuation, the district still gives the impression of a ghost town. However, this is not a documentary film about the war but an immersion into my personal memories,» says Ridnyi.
The video (recorded on-site, distorted by pixel clouds) and edited photographs with drawings combine images of the past and present, external and internal landscapes, facts, and memories. The video is accompanied by a voiceover narration: a female voice recites the artist's memories of the places of his childhood and youth that no longer exist.
Mykola Ridnyi (born in 1985) is an artist from Kharkiv. He graduated from the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts in 2008. Long before that, Ridnyi played an important role in shaping the politically active art scene as an independent artist, curator, and author. He is a co-founder of the SOSka collective, whose artist-run gallery-laboratory, which existed from 2005 to 2012, was a key space in the local art infrastructure. After the project «Armed and Dangerous» (2017–2021), Ridnyi began developing a platform for collaboration between Ukrainian video artists and directors. In 2022–2023, he curated several programs showcasing Ukrainian cinema and video art at DAAD-Galerie (Berlin), MAXXI (Rome), Museum Folkwang (Essen), and the National Gallery (Sofia).
Vienna Secession (Secession) is a famous pavilion established by the city of Vienna for the First Secession Exhibition — a collective of artists that included Gustav Klimt, Koloman Moser, Josef Hoffmann, Max Kurzweil, and others.
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