Roadside Picnic

The Kyiv Municipal Academic Opera and Ballet Theater for Children and Youth recently hosted Roadside Picnic, an exhibit of paintings by young Ukrainian artists. The name comes from the cult novel by the prominent science fiction writers, the Strugatsky brothers. The novel was adapted for the screen by Andrei Tarkovsky under the title Stalker, with the movie enjoying a fabulous success. The artists were invited to present their reflections on the real-life existence of the irrational, unusual, or even weird. The event was a part of the Third Youth Art Salon Marts-2011. The salon’s organizers – the charity International Cultural Dialogue and the law firm Nooguard – are sponsoring it for a third year running. (The first time it took place at the National Taras Shevchenko Museum, then it moved to the Kyiv Opera and Ballet Theater for Children and Youth.) One may say that this exhibit is becoming one of the pillars of the promotion of young Ukrainian art, introducing new and interesting names to the public and art market players.

The participants of Roadside Picnic have graduated from the nation’s leading art academies. Despite their young age (around thirty or slightly older), many of them are already members of the National Union of Painters of Ukraine. These artists are involved in a number of important national and international exhibitions. Roadside Picnic comprised a hundred works by twenty artists. During the selection process preference was given to realistic works, as well as to the more vivid paintings of the modern schools, which attracted the visitors’ attention with their saturated colors and symbolic images.

“Our salon pays the most attention to classical art,” says Yulia Hevko, curator of the exhibit. “Classic paintings have always been and will always be in demand. There are many interesting works, with abstractionist paintings and conceptual projects alike. It may be said that our members are special because of their professional training, that is, they are well educated. However, the artists have [also] brought fresh and original approaches. I must say that this year all the residents and guests of our capital can be fully satisfied with the number of events allowing young artists to present their works. Three years ago, when we were just starting, there were much fewer. Obviously, the ‘seniors’ of the art market should have this ‘fresh blood’ introduced to them. The average visitor deserves it, too. Young artists’ paintings are far more affordable. After all, who knows, maybe in a few years they will become vastly more expensive. It can be a good investment in the future!”