Throughout the discussion of the year 2000, it is important to remember that the Municipal Gallery, from the very beginning of its activities, aimed not only to promote cultural activities among Kharkiv residents but also to highlight Ukrainian art on the international stage.
One such example was the exchange of exhibition programs between Ukrainian and German artists. The project “Mania of Greatness” or “If I Were a Tsar” took place at the “Gala” gallery in Magdeburg. The Municipal Gallery presented a project that had been previously shown in 1999 at the International Art Festival in Kyiv and then at the MG.
The exhibition in Magdeburg featured works by leading Kharkiv artists, including sculptures by O. Ridnyy and A. Ivanova, photographs by V. Bysov, graphics and paintings by O. Borysov, E. Yashin, M. Zhukov, V. Antonyuk, and Ye. Morgulyan, as well as a screen design by O. Kudynova. Additionally, a metal fashion show by artists Olga and Andriy Galdyni was held during the exhibition. The German city of Magdeburg transformed into an art space for Kharkiv artists for several years, united by the gallery’s curatorial projects: following the first exhibition, they participated in international festivals (Gala Art, Nature Art).
In response, the European art action within the walls of the MG was an exhibition by the Polish artist Piotr Szurek, a multiple participant in international biennales and exhibitions. The artist brought to Kharkiv portraits created in the technique of black-and-white etching, with the main goal not being the similarity of external features, but rather the reflection of the author’s inner states. All of them were titled “Self-portrait” and impressed the Kharkiv audience with their technique and monumentality.
By transforming the external image, playing with the shape of the face and with the means of depicting it in lines and spots, P. Szurek explored his ability to give himself and his inner world through self-portraits.
https://mgallery.kharkov.ua/2000-obmin-vystavkovymy-prohramamy-khudozhnykiv-ukrainy-ta-nimechchyny/
