Not just a coincidence

There are no true accidents in our life. This thought was likely to occur spontaneously to all those who were fortunate enough to visit Den’s 15th International Photo Exhibition which opened in Sumy recently. It so happened that the Sumy exhibition coincided with momentous events in the history of this country. In the words of the Sumy Promotion Agency’s director and mayoral adviser on culture and information Iryna Diadenko, the exhibition became the central event of Sumy’s Euromaidan, with probably every street protester of the day taking time to visit the gallery. “I think it can be explained by clear affinity between your event’s spirit and the group that had gathered in the square,” Diadenko said. “We had fantastic attendance on November 24 with more than 600 visitors, the gallery’s highest daily number ever! I am convinced that the opening of Den’s exhibition in Sumy right now was not just a coincidence. When one does something sincerely and lovingly, one can count on help from on high! Initially, we planned to hold our opening a week earlier. Overall, we worked for a year to make this event happen. I am very grateful for your editor-in-chief and all the staff members’ assistance that enabled us to hold it at last. I know how hard these projects are on their organizers, with funding being the lesser issue when compared with moral, mental, and spiritual exertions needed.”

IMPRESSIONS

“SUCH A STANCE PROMOTES BROADER OUTLOOKS”

Oleksii SEMASHKO, a research fellow at the Onatsky Sumy Art Museum:

“I think that the photos on display offer an example of unbiased and objective take on all the events happening now in this country. In my opinion, it is a really challenging task nowadays – to achieve these levels of sincerity and honesty, reflect the truth and the whole picture, neither embellishing nor suppressing anything. I would even say this requires some civil courage as well. Such a stance promotes broader outlooks in the audience and is sure to bring respect to its champions. A portrait of Ukraine which one can see here is so varied and colorful that it even resembles a painting somewhat. These photos reflect everything that happens in our lives. Despite everything, and perhaps because I am an optimist, it seems to me that positive topics do prevail here. I liked Oleksandr Synytsia’s work Admirer most [Let us recall that this particular photograph won the audience award at the Kyiv exhibition, too. – Authors]. Being extremely cheerful and sincere, it immediately caught my attention. I am sure that the photo exhibition will become a landmark event for Sumy not just because of the famed visitors, but even more so due to the high quality of the works themselves reflecting an entire variety of outlooks and situations. You have managed to implement a global idea here, to reach a rarely visible layer of everyday life.”

“I SAW A LOT OF HISTORY HERE”

Dmytro KUDINOV, a researcher with the Promotion Agency “Sumy”:

“Never before have I seen so many photos in the Sumy City Gallery’s two halls. It should be noted that Ukraine appears here quite cheerful, as a lot of photos convey positive human emotions. Besides, I saw a lot of history in them, including tributes to World War II veterans and the 1932-33 Holodomor memorials. The photos tell the stories of old people who have gone through hard times in the 20th century and are still experiencing hardship now, dealing with poverty, disease, and other issues. The exhibition pays much attention to the difficult environmental situation in our country. It portraits Ukraine as a world of contrasts, featuring human happiness as well as misery, the rich as well as the poor, etc. I hope that Den’s Photo Exhibition will grow more optimistic with every passing year, based on a real positive change in our country. I liked Ihor Shvachunov’s Ecobeach most. Overall, the level of photos is very high. The citizens of Sumy only rarely get a chance to see such a variety of realistic artworks. I foresee that the exhibition will become a landmark cultural event for the city.”

“IT IS HARD TO OVERESTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF SUCH EVENTS”

Natalia HOVORUKHINA, photographer, chair of the Photo Club “Positive”:

“It is a very interesting exhibition, featuring poignant photo reports. It is nice to see familiar names, as creators of some works are my friends or students. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of events such as Den’s Photo Exhibition, because photos are especially valuable due to their unequaled ability to preserve ‘the flavor of the time.’ The time will come when people will judge this or that period using these photos as evidence. Photos by children, such as, for example, the 15-year-old Volodymyr Mishchenko’s works, attract special attention... I will advise all my colleagues to visit the exhibition.”