Pomarañczowa omarañczowa fotografia
Orange Photography. On Contemporary Ukrainian Photography

Summary/Abstract: Russian art is often advertised, and Ukrainian art is almost unknown. Nevertheless, Ukrainian art is very interesting, and it fits the world standards. In 2004, I several time traveled to Ukraine, and I was able to see their original art. In 2001, Ukrainian artists organized a show in a tent at the Giardini di Castello, in Venice. It was a controversial show. It was a little rustic, and a little avantgarde series of actions, during which they served vodka. It was the first tent-show at the Biennial. All visitors remembered the fiesta organized by such important Ukrainian artists as Arsen Savadov, Valentyn Rayevski, Olga Melentiy, Oleg Pistol, Yuri Solomko, Sergey Panych. The curator of the show was Valentin Rayevski, and the commissar was Olexander Fedoruk. Paolo de Grandis coordinated the show. The exhibition was dominated by paintings in the Styka style, but the most important parts were video presentations and photography. Harald Szeeman wrote about Ukrainian art (after visiting Savadov’s studio), that it was both romantic and nomadic. Pierre Restany enthusiastically welcomed Ukrainian artists. He considered their project as very original and showing dynamic cultural aspects. In 2003, they organized in Kiyev an exhibition entitled ‘The First Collection’. It was an important signal regarding new trends in Ukrainian art. The second edition of the show was entitled ‘Farewell to Arms’ (2004). The most important and the most interesting part of those two shows was photography by such artists as Oleg Kulik, Arsen Savadov, Serhei Bratkov, Alexander Druganov and Olexander Maslov, Oleg Kulik was born in Kiiev in 1961. He is a geologist and artist. He lives in Moscow, but he often travells, and is represented by galleries in Moscow and Vienna. He became popular when he started organizing performances and installations, such as ‘Absolute Art’. He is interested in photoassemblage and computer photography. He produced such series of photographs as ‘The Mad Dog’, Windows’, Dead Monkeys’, and Russians’. Savadov can be considered as the second star of Ukrainian photography. He was born in 1962 in Kiyev. He is a painter, a performer and a photographer. He produced such series of pictures as ‘Donbass - chocolate’, ‘’After the Wall’, ‘Deepinsider’. Bratkov was born in 1960 in Charkov. He was an electronic engineer. He photographed women-soldiers in a typical camp setting, Teddy bears, and children. Alexander Druganov is interested in photo-collage technique and computer photography. Also, he is a performer, video artist, designer and painter. Olexander Maslov is interested in black-and-white photography. He often hand-colors his pictures. He shows loneliness, and wedding scenes (‘Different Wedding’ series).

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