Cossack as the matrix of our mentality
Exhibition “Mamai Unites Ukraine” is launched at the Taras Shevchenko National Museum
The exhibition presents works by Ukrainian artists, previously displayed at the annual history and culture festival “Mamai-fest” and sent for permanent safekeeping to the Museum of History of Dniprodzerzhynsk. They will be included into the collection of the Cossack Mamai Museum of Fine, Decorative and Applied Arts, which is to be opened in the city of Kamianske (now Dniprodzerzhynsk), situated in the historic Cossack lands.
The organizers focused their efforts on creating a cultural space that preserves genes of national memory. The very image of the Cossack Mamai is commonly understood as a kind of the matrix of Ukrainian mentality, as experts who have devoted themselves to the study of the subject state. All works in the exhibition “Mamai Unites Ukraine” have been carefully selected to show at the capital’s Taras Shevchenko museum the best pieces of the Cossack collection. The vast majority of paintings were created by masters from the Club of Ukrainian Artists of Lviv.
Interestingly, the artists are in this case acting as patrons of the arts as launch the Cossack Mamai Museum in the historic lands of the Zaporizhian Host. It was Honored Artist of Ukraine, president of the Club of Ukrainian Artists Orest Skop who formed this collection of paintings, drawings, and sculptures, united by the theme of Mamai. The works illustrate chief directions of the Club of Ukrainian Artists’ creative explorations.
Enthusiastically exploring the Cossack theme, Honored Artist of Ukraine Petro Sypniak, People’s Artist of Ukraine sculptor Vasyl Yarych, sculptor and professor at Trush Lviv College of Arts Yaroslav Yuzkiv, member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine (NUAU) and Art Academy instructor Volodymyr Ivanyshyn, and members of the NUAU Ivan Mykytiuk, Vasyl Fedoruk, Serhii Reznychenko, Oleksii Kosaty, Dmytro Paruta, Roman Opalynsky, Bohdan Soroka, Yaroslav Vinnychok, Andrii Wasylyk, Valerii Shalenko provided their works for the exhibition. Contemporary artists Viktor Tsapko (Poltava), Leonid Davydenko (Kryvy Rih), Serhii Laushkin (Kyiv) were among others willing to present their take on Mamai’s image.
As a remark, we have noticed that the representation of the image of Mamai himself is quite varied: here the hero is mounted on a white horse, there he is playing the bandura, and there is even a lyrically romantic interpretation of Mamai. Several paintings are dedicated to Crimea and Odesa. However, the main focus of the exhibition, which is dedicated to the unity of our country, is a symbolic version of the national map. It is made up of depiction of the Cossack in 25 works, corresponding to the existing administrative-territorial division of Ukraine into 24 regions and Crimea.
The organizers explain that each painting on display “reflects geographical, historical or cultural features of the region it comes from,” but they share a common vision of the past and the future, which makes this project extremely important for Ukraine in the difficult times it now faces.
Of course, the promotion of patriotic sentiment in the mind of modern viewer is impossible without studying the nation’s history, culture, and folklore. We all know that the Cossack is synonymous with freedom, but entrenching this matrix in the minds of modern, and especially young audience is possible only through exploring the past and creative and analytical reflection on it.
We should add that the idea of the current exhibition emerged as part of the history and culture festival “Mamai-fest.” It was started at the Museum of History of Dniprodzerzhynsk in 2008. Many historians and artists have worked on this festival. The image of Mamai is particularly important and comprehensively researched: “Over centuries, the dominant myth of historical memory has been the Cossack type, which has played a very important role in the consolidation of the modern Ukrainian nation. This myth is the most acceptable one for Ukrainians on both banks of the Dnipro, as the mass consciousness conflates the Cossack image with the image of Ukraine.”
The basic idea, embodied in the paintings and the project itself, is quite transparent, as it aims to show the Cossack functioning as the protector of the people. This problem is very important now, and it will always play a significant role in promoting the unity of the modern Ukrainian nation. “Traditional background of the painting and the Cossack’s appearance strongly suggest that the Cossack is not an aggressor, he is not on the offensive. The use of force on his part is only to protect,” the organizers said.
We sincerely believe that this defensive function will not only strengthen the external borders of our country, but also establish the inner spirit of solidarity and patriotism, because love for one’s country requires one make concrete efforts for its integrity, prosperity, and wealth. In particular, it requires one to preserve the traditions and appreciate the culture, support one another and preserve the legacy of one’s ancestors, as it is the only way to give impetus to future free life. Therefore, Cossack Mamai, being an ultramodern figure, will be interesting for everyone who wants to visit the exhibition, which runs until September 3.
