“Promised Land” is the name of an art show dedicated to Israel’s Independence Day, which opened on April 18 at the Art Foxtrot Gallery. The exhibit is the brainchild of Alla Revenko, who heads the International Antifascist Committee, and is supported by the Embassy of Israel in Ukraine and other Jewish organizations.
The main vector of the work of embassies is political and economic relations, which proceeds quietly. The more public aspects of their work involve forging cultural contacts that reveal the country and its cultural values as represented by a given embassy.
This is not the first time that Kyiv museums and art galleries are displaying artworks by Israeli painters, sculptors, architects, and photographers. But the ‘Promised Land’ is the first exhibit to depict the Holy Land, the cradle of three religions and the homeland of the Holy Bible, through the eyes of Ukrainian artists.
“So far only Kyivan artists are taking part in the show,” said Revenko during the opening, “but we plan to display works by artists from Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Poltava, and other Ukrainian cities. The themes inspired by this land are eternal.”
The show is attractive and eclectic, owing to the participation of artists with different styles of execution, which help reveal the visual and spiritual aspects of Israel. The old streets of Jerusalem in Musatov’s pictures alternate with the scorching sun in Yegizarian’s works. Lazarevska’s severe ceramic pieces emphasize the expressiveness of relations between Cain and Abel in Filatov’s sculpture. Gazing down upon all this is the gorgeous image of Bathsheba, masterfully created by Borys Mykhailiv.
The Promised Land means blossoming orange groves and snow-capped mountain peaks, the enchanting palettes of the Red Sea, endless lines of people at the Western Wall, the birth of life, and the ruthless sand. All this is found in the works of Iliinska, Bahalyk, Petrova, Levichei, Klimova, and Domnytsky, as well as many other Ukrainian artists whose canvases and sculptures we will soon have a chance to see at upcoming shows.








