Lviv’s lions to leave the city

On Sept. 2, 2009, the courtyard of the Lviv City Hall turned into a workshop. For 10 days this improvised open-air studio will be a venue for painting the sculptures of Lviv’s symbolic guard before the eyes of Lvivites and the city’s guests. Galicia’s capital is hosting the lion painting art festival for the second time. It was launched in 2007, involved featured well-known Ukrainian artists, musicians, and extremely popular.

Viktor Romaniuk, head of Sribni Kryla NGO, opened the Lions Parade 2009 and emphasized that the festival’s concept had changed. Two years ago the lions were prepared for an auction and the funds raised went toward equipping six playgrounds, while this time the festival lions will go as presents to all the oblast centers of Ukraine, because “lions should make a name for Lviv.”

The First Lion-2009 will go to Odesa to adorn it on its 215th anniversary. And the most beautiful lion will receive the Audience Favorite Prize and will take up its residence in Kyiv as befits the winner.

It is a known fact that 150-kilogram sculptures of lions will be painted by the well-known Lviv-born Russian director Roman Viktiuk, Andrii Kuzmenko (Skriabin), Bohdan Beniuk and lviv artists Yevhen Ravsky, Volodymyr Kokh, and Vlodko Kaufman. Yurko Boiko, the coordinator of the artistic-technical part of the festival, believes that the artists (both professionals and amateurs) are facing a complicated task, because they should create images that would make the audience understand at first sight that this lion comes from Lviv.

On Sept. 12, 30 painted lions will be set up on the square before the City Council for people to see. The audience will have an opportunity not only to choose the lion that will go to the capital, but also to take part in the Best Photo with Lions competition.