ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
UKRAINIAN WARTIME POSTERS features contemporary art posters first exhibited at the National Center “Ukrainian House”, Kyiv, Ukraine, traveling from New York City and premiering in Colorado at the UCCS GOCA at the Ent Center for the Arts.
Ten Ukrainian contemporary artists - Nastya Gaydaenko (Kyiv), Oleksandr Grekhov (Kyiv), Mykola Honcharov (Kyiv), Zukentiy Horobyov (Kyiv), Katya Lisova (Kyiv), Dasha Podoltseva (Kyiv), Oleksiy Sai (Kyiv), Nikita Shylimov (Kharkiv), Nikita Titov (Kyiv), Albina Yaloza (Kyiv) – have created posters interpreting “the truth about war crimes committed by Russia on the territory of Ukraine after the full-scale invasion that started on the 24th of February 2022”.
The resulting Ukrainian wartime posters will be presented in Colorado Springs as part of the effort to fight Russian propaganda. Visitors and community members are encouraged to donate funds to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine - NIZHYNSK MUNICIPAL MATERNITY HOSPITAL - in the Chernihiv region. Learn more on the website: http://biruchiyart.com.ua
Olena Speranska, the exhibition curator, director of the international contemporary art residency program, BIRUCHIY, and vice president of the Ukrainian NGO “Contemporary Art Researchers Union”, states: “Through their creative work, the artists show the reflections of the collective grief, despair, unbearable pain, sorrow and, at the same time, the willingness to fight and win. It is a cry for help, a declaration of our indomitable spirit and bravery, with elements of bitter irony and truth about specific events and war crimes.”
Arthur Zgurov M.D., activist, and leader of the anti-war Ukrainian movement in New York City, originated the project in New York in September, 2022, working with Speranska. Zgurov shares: “It is a great honor and at the same time a big responsibility to do such an important project in the U.S - the country that supports Ukraine the most not only politically and economically, but also with military aid. It is a very personal thing for me. I worked as a doctor in Ukraine, and I know that it is extremely important to support Ukrainian doctors, especially today, during the war. Every day they are fighting for the lives of other people, just as our soldiers fight for our country.”
The project in Colorado Springs was initiated and coordinated by Colorado College alumnus Serhii Pokhylko, who in the summer of 2022 proposed to UCCS Galleries of Contemporary Art Director Daisy McGowan to bring contemporary Ukrainian art to Colorado Springs with a goal of highlighting the artists creating works in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine. Pokhylko was born and currently lives and works in Kyiv, Ukraine. He received his B.A. in International Political Economy from Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado (1996) and a degree in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing in the United Kingdom (2001). Serhii runs a marketing and event management company, Bright Splash LLC, located in Kyiv.
The event is organized in partnership with the Consulate General of Ukraine in New York, Contemporary Art Researchers Union NGO (Ukraine), International Art Residency BIRUCHIY (Ukraine), The National Center “Ukrainian House”, (Kyiv, Ukraine), Cybertone Inc., (USA) and Speedpro Imaging LIC (Long Island City, NY, US).
The UCCS Galleries of Contemporary Art exhibition is generously supported by Tim and Cate Boddington, with season support for GOCA provided by Colorado Creative Industries, the National Endowment for the Arts, City of Colorado Springs, LART, the Bee Vradenburg Foundation for the Arts, and GOCA PAC donor circle members.
IMPORTANT DATES
Opening Event with Guest Curator Olena Speranska
Friday, November 11, 2022
Exhibition on View
November 11 - December 3, 2022
Sheppard Project Space Gallery
Ent Center for the Arts
Gallery Hours |
Thursday - Saturday, 1- 6 pm
and by appointment
