WE ARE!🇺🇦

WE ARE!
Yesterday, March 22, the Cultural and artistic project "Kherson organization of the NSHU" was opened in the Kyiv House of Artists. Huge gratitude: to the Directorate of Exhibitions of the NSHU for organizing the exhibition, to Yana Golubyatnikova for the idea and maximum support of the event, to Khersonskaya OVA for the provided photos and personal support of the head Oleksandr Prokudin!!!!
This exhibition is special both for the regional group of artists and for Ukraine as a whole.
The terrible, full-scale attack of the aggressor neighbor, among countless dramatic events and irreversible losses, led to the painful isolation of artists from creative all-Ukrainian processes, in particular All-Ukrainian art exhibitions.
Among Kherson artists, there is currently not a single one who would be in "light" conditions... Some survived the occupation and have remained under merciless shelling until now. Some were forced to leave their native homes and workshops and are still abroad.
Most of the paintings presented at this Cultural and Art Project miraculously survived the occupation. These are works that at the time of the invasion were in the administrative building at the regional art exhibition. Thanks to the heroic efforts of Yana Golubyatnikova, an artist from Kherson, it was possible to move almost the entire collection from the "White House", which was captured by the Orcs, to the Union's art workshops. The fragile woman was not afraid to go to the den of enemies in March 2022 to demand and return almost all the works to the authors!
The other day, these paintings were taken out of the shelling from Kherson to Kyiv to become the basis of this exhibition.
Under better conditions, there would be more opportunities to show more Kherson authors and the best of their works. Some of these paintings, such as two wonderful paintings by Yulia Rosenzweig, are all that survived from the artist's life's creative heritage! All her other works, as well as her home and workshop, are currently in occupied Kakhovka. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that the author will ever see her paintings again.
It was in Novaya Kakhovka that the best works of the Kherson native Vitaly Rakovych were located at the time of the invasion. The fate of these works is currently unknown. His painting "The Blue Wagon" is presented at the Kyiv exhibition, which, in the light of the events experienced, acquired a new philosophical tone.
The painting "Portal", painted by Olga Gonobolina, looks prophetic in a new way - one of her three paintings that were saved during the occupation.
The viewer's great interest is aroused by the works of Oleksandr Zhukovsky - they are always original in performance, unpredictable in idea. The artist does not betray himself even now. He, who survived all the horrors of the occupation and is under shelling in Kherson, created an impressive image of T.G. Shevchenko, inspired by the last poem and a landscape with chumaks by Kobzar.
Four lyrical watercolors of Kherson girl Svitlana Biletska, saved from orcs, are the decoration of this exhibition. Now the artist is abroad. Her house, which is located near the Antonivsky Bridge, was in its own hell from the first days of the invasion... Currently, Svitlana is engaged in teaching activities online. Creativity is available to her today - painting small watercolor sketches - solace for the soul and help of the Armed Forces (money from sales - to the military).
Olga Gulyaeva's work "God, save Ukraine" - a painting-prayer that was painted before the war and survived the occupation, is the lyric tuning fork of this exhibition.
Refinement of execution, filigree are characteristic of the works of Mykola Dovgan. It is hard to believe that two of the three works presented at the exhibition were born to the sounds of furious shelling of the city.
The mystical, unique, recognizable works of the artist Kostyantyn Tereshchenko have always attracted the attention of the audience. The fate of Konstantin and his family is dramatic in its own way - during the occupation, a daughter was born in Kherson. Young parents and a child are now abroad.
Kherson is the city of power and inspiration of Yana Golubyatnikova. Survived the occupation with dignity, now under fire... never leaves the brush! Despite the circumstances, he creates incredible, large-scale, in every sense, works: both in terms of size, skill of execution, and in terms of philosophical, deep content! The joy of life, tenderness, femininity and indomitable spirit - all this is in the bright, original canvases of the author!
A wonderful addition to the exhibition are photos of Kherson photojournalist Oleksandr Kornyakov!
There is no such art school that could be called "Khersonian". Probably, this can be explained by the fact that the two universities and schools in Kherson that teach art disciplines have an extremely diverse composition of teachers-bearers of stylistic trends from all over Ukraine. Perhaps, the variety of performance techniques and the brightness of the works is also due to the uniqueness of the natural environment and the warmth of the southern sun. Most likely, it is this variety that distinguishes the works of the Kherson people from other regional centers.
Behind each work is the author's own story, his personal drama or tragedy. Only some of the Kherson people, their creativity and fate are mentioned here. Unfortunately, not all of the members of the Union could be found for exhibiting their works at this exhibition. Some are no longer among the living. Even before the war, the Kherson group of artists was small in number,

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