“There will be no photo projects”: what the NGO “Ukrainian Photography” is preparing for the 2024 Venice Biennale

[ad_1]

Ukraine has chosen a participant and a project for the largest forum of contemporary art – the 60th Venice Biennale. The competition commission under the Ministry of Culture decided to give the Ukrainian pavilion in Venice “to the hands” of young curators Maksym Horbatskyi and Victoria Bavykina. Their “Weaving of Nets” won the finals of the B-side project of the modern Ukrainian opera “Chornobildorf” – Anthropological museum. The couple, who currently live in Great Britain, are the founders of the Public Organization “Ukrainian Photography”, and also have in their career more than one exhibition of modern Ukrainian photography (“Home” in Liverpool as part of the Eurofestival, “Sensitivity” and “Quick-Resolved Time” in the Art Arsenal, a number of exhibitions in his Small Gallery, Kharkiv Photo Forum, etc.), media project Ukrainian.Photographies and close connections with the milieu of modern Ukrainian photo artists. However, the Ukrainian project at the 2024 Biennale will not be about photography. The editor of UP.Kultura Tetyana Pushnova found out about this after talking with Viktoria and Maksym. What Ukraine will prepare for Venice, what art will be presented there – read exclusive details. Ukrainian emancipation Weaving nets is both a soothing joint work, and a metaphor for building horizontal relationships and mutual support, and, ultimately, a useful thing in a war zone. Taking into account the name of the project and the experience of the winners of the competition, I imagined a large, possibly immersive photo project about this widespread in Ukraine experience of involving citizens in our victory. But at the very beginning of the conversation with Victoria and Maxim, they immediately shattered my expectations: “We can say for sure that there will be no photographs in this project. Max and I did not think about the medium at all, it was not a key issue for us. There were important artists who agreed to join the project, and we are very grateful to them for that. And they already decided what medium to use,” said Victoria. Maksym Horbatskyi and Victoria Bavykina are married. Photo: provided by the curators. The names of these artists are well-known in the contemporary art environment: Katya Buchashka, Andriy and Liya Dostlevy, Andriy Rachynskyi, Danyil Revkovskyi. The general concept of the project is a non-hierarchical artistic expression, where the interaction between the curator and the artist takes place horizontally. Here, the curator acts as a kind of facilitator (mediator), not a person who dictates the rules or the narrative. In communication, Viktoria and Maksym also try to get rid of hierarchy – there is no clear leader, they clarify certain characteristics of the project with each other immediately in front of me. The name “Weaving nets” is still working, it may change in the process, the curators say. Now it most fully reflects the idea of ​​the project and describes the state in which Ukraine found itself, as they say, in the post-Maidan years. The Mickey Mouse Step project by Andriy Rachynskyi and Daniil Ravkovskyi. Photo: Courtesy of the curators “Weaving nets is such a voluntary collective action of different people who, of course, have different intentions. For someone it is therapy, someone wants to help, someone wants to be in a group. This collective action is also horizontal. It allows everyone to embody their desires, allows everyone to emancipate,” says Victoria. “And in this action, the conflict between collective and individual emancipation, the emancipation of each person and, at the same time, the entire country, disappears,” Maxim adds. The artists will present three projects, in which they themselves will also become certain facilitators. After all, the curators aim to involve Ukrainians and communities who are experiencing or building experiences of mutual support in artistic expression. Therefore, artists with facilitation experience and high sensitivity to the viewer were invited to “Weaving of Nets”. Read also: The Louvre shows ancient icons from the Khanenko Museum: how the French discover the history of Byzantium Trilogy The video is a key part of the work of artists Andriy Rachinskyi and Daniil Revkovskyi on their piece “Weaving Nets”. The artists create a film using amateur videos shot by Ukrainians during a full-scale war: the consequences of shelling, occupation, household videos that narrate the war experience. “We all faced the fact that it is very difficult to tell another person who does not have this experience what it is like to be part of a society, a country that is going through a war. Danya and Andrii work a lot with data archives and collect different stories. They processed thousands of different videos – such a global research (research – ed.) of war experiences,” Victoria said. The project of Andrii Rachynskyi and Daniil Revkovskyi “Step of Mickey Mouse”. Photo: provided by the curators The project of Andrii and Liya Dostlev addresses the topic of perception of the image of a migrant or a displaced person and speaks through the experience of Ukrainians about the issue of displaced persons in general. It surprisingly coincides with the focus theme of the 60th Venice Biennale – “Foreigners Everywhere”. In 2024, there will be an offer to delve into the study of the concept of “foreigner” and focus on those who are on the margins – exiles, emigrants and outsiders. Artists Andriy and Lia Dostlevy. Photo: provided by the curators To implement their project, the Dostlevs will ask communities of Ukrainian migrants in Europe to describe what is expected of them in the cities where they live. How they are perceived, how they feel. Based on these experiences, the artists will write a script – the refugee character will be embodied by foreign actors in a silent video performance. Part of the Dostlevyh 2020 Black on Prussian Blue project. Photo: provided by the curators “The script, written on the basis of the experience of displaced people in Warsaw, will be embodied by a Polish actor. The video will be silent. The result is such an interesting thing: this experience becomes visible, but voiceless. There will be 5-6 video portraits from different places. Communities will help to the actor to play correctly, to prompt in the process, to guide,” says Maksym. Part of Dostlev’s project Licking War Wounds. Photo: provided by the curators Mitka and the curators plan to touch on the topic not only of Ukrainian refugees, but to present it more globally. “Of course, this project will talk about Ukrainian immigrants, about our experience. But we will also talk in general about all people who find themselves in such a situation. If we are talking about European countries, then here we are dealing with this stereotype of a refugee, who should be quiet, good, inconspicuous, grateful. That’s how a lot of people feel,” Victoria adds. Part of Dostlev’s 2020 Black on Prussian Blue project. Photo: provided by the curators. Katya Buchashka, the author of the third part of the project, also addresses the problem of the experience of the “other”. Her work will engage people on the autistic spectrum. “Weaving nets” approaches the communication of other’s experiences in different ways. Andriy and Dani’s project will immerse a person who has not had these experiences, and probably does not want to have them, somewhat aggressively. We almost force her to interact with other people’s experiences. Instead, Katya will create greeting cards in her work with people with autism. This will be a project about greetings as a practice that is taught, as a tool for socialization, communication, in which a person feels safe,” says Maksym. Artist Katya Buchashka. Photo: provided by the curators. Liverpool gallery Open Eye volunteered to be the partners of the “Weaving of Nets” project. where Maksym Horbatsky works as a curator, and which at the Eurofestival held an exhibition of modern Ukrainian photography “House”. But Open Eye Gallery has already immersed itself in Ukrainian art and started presenting it on the territory of Great Britain. They already know our artists who took part in the Eurofestival – the same Katya Buchaska or the Dostlevs, Raczynski, who took part in our joint project “House”. This institution is interested in socially engaged practices. So for us, this is a logical continuation of our cooperation,” says Victoria. Katya Buchatska’s project about the city of Izyum in Liverpool. Photo: provided by the curators “In addition to the partner Open Eye Gallery, an experienced team will work on the project – Misha Buksha will create the design of the pavilion, the architecture will take care Sasha Burlaka, and Olena Kasperovych will coordinate organizational issues. We are grateful to each of them for supporting us and agreeing to work on “Weaving Nets”, – adds Maxim. About the Biennale The 60th Venice Biennale will take place from April 17 to November 24 next year. The Biennale of Architecture and the Venice Film Festival also take place within this oldest forum of contemporary art. The Biennale holds a competition of national projects (pavilions) and artists. The winners receive the Golden Lion. Ukraine has been participating in the Venice Biennale since 2001 and has not yet been honored in this competition. Read UP. Culture in Telegram

[ad_2]

Original Source Link