Ukrainian colors for America

Kyiv-based Lera Litvinova Gallery has taken part in one of the world’s most famous art fair, Art Expo New York. Having participated in the “report” vernissage called “Non Stop. Art,” The Day has learned that Americans and Ukrainians have one feature in common, the love to traditional painting.

Lera Litvinova Gallery is one of the most unconventional galleries in Kyiv. Unlike other galleries, the establishment founded by Leonora Yanko and artist Lera Litvinova is functioning at a certain distance from the center of the capital. One would even say that it is located in the outskirts. It takes one 30 minutes to get there from the Akademmistechko Subway Station, one needs to take Okruzhna Road to the Zhulianskyi Bridge. The owners of the gallery arrange transfers for the guests to the most important events. We, however, took a usual bus. And we were surprised to see a real field, when we arrived. However, McDonalds and Novus Building showed that we were still on the territory of the city, and the feeling of empty space could be deceiving.

Another essential difference from other galleries is that the gallery is located in a showroom of an automobile dealership. The director of the gallery Leonora Yanko said that the owners of the gallery liked its hi-tech style architecture. The glass facade helps to create an impression that you are right under the blue sky and live sun. The field I’ve mentioned is located in the opposite of the salon, on the other side of the road. It’s a venue for open-air sessions rather than an exhibition space.

OLENA PRONKINA’S POLYPTYCH A THREAD, CANVAS, OIL

Here we’ve come close to the third important difference of the Lera Litvinova Gallery. In spite of the capital trend for actual art it specializes rather in traditional painting, even with an inclination to salon art. The buyers are the people who come to buy new cars. Litvinova Gallery doesn’t organize get-togethers, although the owners are planning to open a venue in the center of the capital.

Paintings which have just come back from the American Art Expo New York 2017 were exhibited at “Non Stop. Art” near the shop windows in a snow-white automobile salon with blue sky in the background: traditional landscapes by merited artists of Ukraine Leonid Zaborovskyi and Natalia Papirna; conceptual paintings by Olena Pronkina, Natalia Korf-Ivaniuk, and Oleksii Ivaniuk, as well as by Lera Litvinova; even a painting by German street artist Johnny Crack from the “Golden Muse” series. Such a mix would have seemed too much in another place. But here the selection of works seems quite seamless. According to Leonora Yanko, it seemed appropriate at Art Expo New York 2017 as well.

“Like Ukrainians, Americans love painting,” the curator of the project Leonora Yanko says. “Their paintings are bright and life-asserting. Therefore for the participation in the world’s most famous art fair we had selected corresponding pictures. Incidentally, most of the works we took to the US have been sold out. “Non Stop. Art” is rather a reminiscence exhibition, a report on the work we’ve done. First and foremost, it features the Ukrainian authors Americans liked. Our artists received accolades in New York. It was very pleasant. We were also surprised by the inviting atmosphere of the Art Expo New York. We are planning to go to an exhibit to America again.”

Exhibit “Non Stop. Art” will be open till July 2.