Let’s continue our journey through 2018 by revisiting Pavlo Makov’s solo exhibition “Paradiso Perduto” or “Lost Paradise”.

Pavlo Makov is a renowned artist and a close friend of the gallery.

In 2018, Makov became a laureate of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine in the category of “Visual Arts” with the project “Paradiso Perduto”, which was presented at the gallery. It was Tetyana Tumasyan, director of the Kharkiv Municipal Gallery and a member of the Shevchenko Prize Committee, who nominated Pavlo Makov for the award.

The exhibition marked the first solo project by the artist in his hometown in the past 8 years.

It is the artist’s laborious, “medieval” (as he likes to say) etching technique that sets him apart in the Ukrainian art scene. Interestingly, Makov’s approach to this technique is unique: while etchings were previously created as reproducible works, Makov transforms them into original, one-of-a-kind pieces.

The “Paradiso Perduto” project featured 11 works depicting a suburban settlement near Kharkiv. This image of a small town revealed the idea of a personal paradise that people create for themselves to escape the hustle and bustle of the city; where everyone can grow their garden, their small paradise, and realize their dreams on this piece of land. But nothing is eternal —  this is the main emphasis the artist made. Sooner or later, every person can both create and lose their own paradise.

https://mgallery.kharkov.ua/2003-zhan-d-iezed-retrospektiva/