Z miasta Żelaza i Betonu / З міста Залізобетону / Из города Железобетона

 

Exhibition of video and media art by artists from Kharkiv, Ukraine, held from March 17th to April 16th, 2023. The vernissage took place on March 17th, 2023, at 6:00 PM.

 

The following artists participated in the exhibition:

Artem Volokitin

Vlas Byelov

Yuli Holub

Tetiana Malinovska

Roman Minin

Olya Fedorova

Olexiy Yalovega

 

Curator: Tetiana Tumasyan, Kharkiv Municipal Gallery

 

Kharkiv and Poznan have many connections – we are sister cities, and throughout our long history of fraternal relations, there have been numerous significant events, including in the field of culture. The municipal galleries of both cities also have a history of cooperation, which, through various municipal and private initiatives, with the support of sisterhood committees and official diplomacy, has provided invaluable assistance to both countries in establishing partnership contacts and cultural interaction. The current collaboration is particularly valuable as it takes place during a difficult wartime period for Kharkiv and Ukraine, and the initiative of our Polish partners to organize an exhibition of Kharkiv media art in Poznan is especially meaningful. In addition to achieving important professional goals, it is an opportunity for Kharkiv artists and the gallery to add their voice to the pan-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 at war. The seven Kharkiv artists participating in this exhibition, despite their young age, have already gained international recognition, extensive exhibition and project experience, and have worked in new media. They have also been laureates at significant international art forums. They are all united by their education at the Kharkiv Academy of Design and Arts and their participation in various support programs for young artists of the Kharkiv Municipal Gallery, starting from its first youth projects and actions. In the early 2000s, they participated in the NonStopMedia Festival (2003-2021) and the 2nd National Biennale of Young Art (2019). These artists, who started their professional careers at our platform, have now become popular and continue to collaborate with us, representing our chosen “pool” and being a source of pride for the gallery. Throughout this challenging year of war, regardless of where they were located – at home in Kharkiv or in temporary evacuation – they all continue to work actively in their respective media and fields, each reflecting on what is happening in the country and the world in their own way. Among the artists who visited Poznan in 2008, representing the young art of Kharkiv and the NonStopMedia Festival, were Artem Volokitin and Roman Minin, who were starting their professional careers at the time. Their start was bright and successful, and to this day, both artists are stars of the Ukrainian art scene.

 

Roman Minin was one of the first in Ukrainian art to engage in VR, Crypto-art, and NFT, using the latest technologies as a universal tool and as an independent artistic medium. He continues to successfully work in painting, graphics, photography, and street art. In this exhibition, Minin is represented by the video “New Maya Challenge” (in collaboration with Anton Litvak). As a supporter of dystopian views on history and the present, the artist reflects on the fate of the modern proletariat/hegemon. Being from the Donbas region and coming from a mining family, Roman is intimately familiar with the hard work of miners, comparing their uncertain future and difficult present to the lost ancient civilizations.

 

Artem Volokitin is one of the most sought-after Ukrainian artists, known for receiving the prestigious Grand Prix NonStopMedia, the only artist in the festival’s history to achieve this, as well as first place in the inaugural Pinchuk ArtPrize competition. He has completed an internship with Antony Gormley in London and participated in the main program of the Venice Biennale in 2015, among many other accomplishments. In this collection, Artem presents his video artwork “Combinatorics” (2013-2022), with the first version of the piece earning him another laureate title. The contemporary version was modified by the artist during his residency in Germany last year. The man and woman depicted in the artwork form the facets of a cube, delineating a shared space. As their bodies accelerate, they merge into a singular mass without creating a unified entity. The conditional nature of interdependent reality and the intricacies of human destinies and relationships, depicted as combinations of figures in a programmed game, evoke philosophical allusions, particularly relevant in our turbulent times.

 

Yulia Holub is the only female artist in this exhibition who received professional education specializing in “video art.” After graduating from Kharkiv University, she completed a course with Sergey Bratkov at the Rodchenko Moscow School of Photography and Multimedia. Her artistic practices encompass video, installation, performance, photography, and media collage. Her artwork “Cow – Bovine Reaction” is a visceral response to the ongoing war in Ukraine, stemming from events since 2014. Created in the aftermath of the dramatic events in Donbas, it remains relevant to this day. The real-life story told by Yulia’s own grandmother is deeply moving and evokes empathy in the viewers. In her anti-war series, the artist declares humanism and kindness, which manifest even in the most brutal times.

The most sharp and direct response to the tragic events unfolding in the country since February 24, 2022, is provided by Vlas Belov’s artwork “Russia Attacks Ukraine. Kharkiv.” The artist’s media collage includes an AR installation called “Hold,” his personal photo documentation from Kharkiv captured during the most tragic days for our city, and a video filmed six months before the war protesting against war and destruction while celebrating the heroism of the defenders holding the line. The video contains a QR code that, when scanned, can reproduce the installation in real-time and be shared on social media for symbolic support of Ukraine.

 

Vlad Belov is a conceptual artist, digital artist, and virtual performer who, immediately after graduating from the Academy, focused on working in new and cutting-edge media. He was one of the first in Kharkiv and the country to engage with 3D programs, VR, and NFT art. He actively participates in international digital forums, continuing to explore and develop this innovative direction in art.

 

Tetyana Malinovska’s video is highly intuitive and visionary, addressing the theme of Silence versus Noise, primarily the informational noise that persistently permeates modern society, inundating it with lies and endless fakes. Tetyana has been collaborating with Artem Volokitin in a joint creative art laboratory for many years, with their participation in the Venice Biennale and other major international projects. She explores various media of contemporary art and also engages in curatorial work.

 

Sunflowers symbolize a flourishing and free Ukraine. However, within the dense and tall growth of these plants, an enemy can easily hide. Olya Fedorova’s video titled “Sunflowers” portrays an endless field of sunflowers, the same field where hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers fell during the tragic battle of Ilovaisk in 2014. The landscape of her homeland, which the artist has been exploring in her works for several years, becomes a starting point for understanding not only national identity and roots but also a space for spiritual searching. Olya Fedorova is a conceptual artist who works with text, photography, video, multimedia, and practices activism and performance art. She actively participates in art residencies worldwide.

 

In his NFT series, Oleksiy Yalovega addresses the eternal and sacred through his 3D sculpture of the most simple and complex object on Earth: the Egg. Alongside aesthetic explorations and analytical dissections of various art styles throughout history, parodies, and media references, we see the author touching upon topical and painful themes of contemporary Ukraine. Oleksiy’s creative career is an excellent example of artists who have received traditional art education but have also mastered modern digital technologies, experimenting with new and old meanings in contemporary media.

 

Curator: Tetyana Tumasyan

 

Kharkiv Municipal Gallery is the first municipal gallery in Ukraine. Over its 26 years of activity, it has become a well-known platform for creative and socio-cultural initiatives, actively promoting contemporary art. It serves as an educational and communicative hub for artists, curators, and the art community in Ukraine.