Getting to know yoursel

As The Day wrote in the previous issue, the trip to Chernihiv on March 20 was packed with events. After meeting students from three local colleges in the Taras Shevchenko Pedagogical University, Larysa Ivshyna, The Day’s the editor in chief, opened the newspaper’s photo exhibit in the Plast-Art gallery of modern art.

The best photos of the The Day’s 2008 photo contest and the grand prix winners from previous years covered walls of all seven spacious halls of the gallery with the total area of around 1,000 square meters. Those who are used to small galleries in Kyiv can imagine this not-quite-provincial scope.

“For 10 years now these photos have united the thoughts and feelings of people,” said Larysa Ivshyna in her opening address at the photo exhibit. “Photography is special because it lets you to see the world of other people who think in a different way, see the world in a different way, and finally shoot in a different way. With its photo exhibit The Day lets the country get to know itself, in a mild and delicate way.

“This is a painless way of perceiving a great scope of knowledge about your own country and about other people’s sensation of the world. We are often told that at our photo exhibits one can see the kind of Ukraine that cannot be seen on telly (our colleagues who work on TV will pardon the expression). This is something of a complementary view that we use in our newspaper articles and also support with our photo exhibit.”

Journalists, photographers, photo artists, as well representatives of the authorities, NGOs, the clergy, the Chernihiv region artistic and academic elite, and even children bandura player ensemble attended the exhibition.

THE CHER6NIHIV REGION HAS AN INVISIBLE BUT STRONG TIE WITH The Day

The special connection between the Chernihiv region and The Day started to take shape a long time ago owing to our readers’ powerful support, meetings of the The Day’s editor in chief with the local community, and The Day’s photo exhibits, which were held here twice, in 2003 and in 2004.

Dmytro NYKONENKO, head of the press and information department, the Chernihiv Oblast State Administration, says that cooperation with our newspaper in this oblast was launched by Viktor Tkanko, his predecessor in the office. Tkanko initiated the publication of historical and ethnographical almanac Chernihivschyna Incognita; its second part is soon to be published.

“Another link with The Day was James Mace,” continues Nykonenko. “He liked the Chernihiv region and we were always happy to have him here.”

Chernihiv is one of the Ukrainian cities that are home to The Day’s star photographers. Some of the local photographers became winners and are now permanent participants of our national photo contest. The first ones that come to mind are Valerii Iniutin and Viktor KOSHMAL.

“Since 1979 I’ve been working as a head of children photo studio. My whole life is connected with photography. It is not simply a hobby for me; it is a sense of my life”, says Koshmal, who is now cooperating with the leading mass media in Chernihiv region and some mass media from Kyiv. “I was 12 when I first took a camera in my hands. It was when my godfather presented me with a camera Smena-6. Now I have really nice professional equipment. I am a freelance reporter. Everybody knows my skills and I make a living from it.”

Koshmal says he first took part in The Day’s photo contest before 2000. A few years later he was already one of the permanent participants and winners.

“Of course, I did not always win. I’d fall, hurt myself, but would rise again and move ahead further and further and would not go lay bricks. I come to The Day’s photo exhibit every year. Here I feel the artistic fervor annd see some really great works. Oh, and here is one of mine! And it feels so good right away,” says the photographer with a dreamy smile.

By the way, the Volodymyr Korolenko Regional Scholarly Library hosts Koshmal’s personal exhibit under the poetic title “About People with Love.”

Borys DIEDOV, a painter, Honored Art Worker of Ukraine, and director of the Plast-Art gallery, told The Day that his 10-year-old gallery is the largest one not only in Chernihiv oblast but in entire Ukraine.

“In 10 years we have hosted some 120 exhibitions,” says Diedov. “All our fellow countryman who won the Shevchenko State Prize had their works on display here. Among artists from abroad is Mikhail Shemyakin, a worldwide known painter, sculptor, and a friend of Vladimir Vysotsky. People from Chernihiv can have their works displayed here as many times as they as they want. None of the artists had to pay a penny for his exhibition. Therefore, you can think of the gallery Plast-Art as a sponsor action. This gallery is also beneficial for ordinary Chernihiv residents. We have a special arrangement with local authorities to rent this building, so I don’t charge people entrance fees, nor do artists pay exhibition fees.

“Last year we created a project called ‘Crossroads.’ We brought together a sizeable group of young artists—poets, writers, painters, photographers, and arts and crafts masters—for one project. This was done to let them all present their works because separately they do not have enough works to fill even one hall of the gallery. Together their works make a beautiful sample of modern youth art.”

“A lot of mass media representatives have come,” added Nykonenko. “The Day’s photo exhibit is interesting for journalists, even though it is, in fact, hard to get them interested in anything. Personally, the most interesting fact is that there are no age limitations for the participants. People cooperate with you, and I believe this is the most important thing. They are not afraid of presenting their photo works for your artistic judgment. This is what makes The Day’s photo exhibit special.”

PHOTOS THAT ARE FULL OF LIFE

The “complementary view” on Ukraine in form of photographs that are submitted to the contest from all over Ukraine always attracts attention of a diverse audience. At the photo exhibit opening in Chernihiv a great deal of attention was drawn not only to the bright photos on the walls but also to the young bandura players who “accompanied” the exhibit with Ukrainian authentic instrument and their silvery voices.

Students of the Stefan Vilkonsky Music School No.1 were especially touched by the photo of a boy their age who was injured in the Sknyliv tragedy.

Valentyna ISHCHENKO, Honored Culture Worker of Ukraine, head of Chernihiv Union of Kobza Players Union, told that the kobza school in Chernihiv is one of the biggest in Ukraine. It was founded in the 1960s and has produced winners of Ukrainian and international competition.

“Children like bandura, Ukrainian songs, and Ukrainian culture in general. In the Chernihiv city park there is even a special place for kobza players where our kids get together every Sunday in the summer to play and sing,” says Ishchenko. She adds in a less optimistic way: “There is a great problem with instruments. The Pavlo Postyshev musical instrument factory, which made banduras, has been shut down. We are very careful with the instruments we have now, because there is no way to get new ones.”

ILARION, the bishop of Chernihiv and Nizhyn, was looking at the photos in a slow and pensive way. He believes that a photo can influence a person’s soul. However, it is depends on us and our spiritual condition more than the qualities of the photo itself.

“A photo can often capture a unique moment of joy or deep sadness that may never happen again. Later it can have certain moral and instructive meaning and influence the souls of those who look at them. It is the aesthetic and moral role of any kind of art. The impression made by the photo depends on the person. If the person is positive — kind, strong-willed, and purposeful — he will find moral and educational value in any kind of photo.”

Volodymyr LYCHKOVAKH, Ph.D., head of the Department of Philosophy and Culture Studies, and part-time curator of the Plast-Art gallery, shared his impressions of the exhibit. He views the exhibit from the standpoint of science and culture studies.

“The 10th photo exhibit is a sign of cultural, humanitarian, educational, and even state-building work of The Day. The unusual placement of photos catches one’s eye right away. The photos show different sides, aspects, and levels of our life. That the photos of politicians and ordinary people are deliberately mixed together reflects real life where everything is happening at the same time.

“The Day’s photo exhibit is a snapshot of moments of life in Ukraine; it is, in a way, a photoencyclopedia of modern life. The exhibit is based on universal Ukrainian archetypes—the archetype of mother and temple—and exudes Ukrainian emotionality. The photos are simply full of life. The exhibit is truly modern rather than retrospective.

“The Ukrainian sense of humor is skillfully conveyed by excellent photographs in a very palpable way. I think that the Ukrainian soul is first of all lyrical and even sentimental. That is why I best liked the photos showing lyricism, sentimentalism, romanticism, and maybe even utopianism. This is what our soul is.”

Raisa VOROBEI, director of the Chernihiv Oblast State Archive, is in charge of one of the richest Ukrainian archives which was founded 110 years ago and now contains unique documents. Vorobei says that there are many scholars doing research in the archive now, both historians and ordinary citizens who are interested in history. Many people have started coming to study their genealogy using birth registers.

“It is very difficult work,” emphasizes Vorobei. “I think that this kind of interest points to greater awareness and a desire to trace one’s roots, no matter what they are.”

Vorobei thinks that the photographs presented at The Day’s exhibit can be a very representative cross-section of our life for our descendants.

“These photographs have every right to become photodocuments for our descendants that will give them an idea of our life today. The works are very interesting. There are very touching photos right alongside ironical photos of politicians,” says Vorobei.

The photo of a young watermelon lover by Olha Kuznetsova became a favorite one for Serhii MOISIIENKO, head of the Department for Culture and Tourism of the Chernihiv Oblast State Administration. This photo won the prize of the editor in chief Larysa Ivshyna and became something of a symbol of The Day’s 2008 photo exhibit. Moisiienko said he recognized himself in this photo.

Another representative of local authorities, Yurii MUZYKA, deputy head of the Department for Domestic Policy of the Chernihiv Oblast State Administration, agrees with the thought that this exhibit can be a source of inspiration even for a government employee.

“I liked the fact that the entire spectrum of life in Ukraine is presented here. There are things that evoke a smile and things that make one sad. Unfortunately, when you are a government employee, you slowly get into a rut and you especially lack communication with interesting people and art. Your exhibit provides both.”

“The exhibit reflects life in all its manifestations,” shares with her impressions Maryna FESENKO, librarian at the Government Employee Training Center. “The exhibit is interesting because there are entirely different photos next to each other: tragic and comic ones, with politicians and old ladies in a village, etc. One picture shows life of a little village boy and right next to it is a photo of the president of Ukraine. This is really impressive.”

The wide range of visitors of The Day’s photo exhibit proves that everyone can put his soul into these photos—a bishop, a government employee, or an artist. The photos on display truly acquaint each one of us with ourselves.