A painted bowl takes the center stage

An exhibition of well-known Vinnytsia folk artist Viktoria Nikolaieva has started at a show room of the Vinnytsia Regional Folk Art Center. The exhibition “Based on Podillia Bowls... from the Depths of the Earth” features 124 products, and a hundred of them are ceramic bowls which are painted based on ancient Podillia patterns. The artist has presented ancient painting techniques used in Bar, Sharhorod, Berezhany, Smotrych, Dybyntsi, and Bubnivka bowls. Examples of ancient jars, pots, and jugs are on display as well.

“In the folk legacy of Podillia pottery, the painted bowl occupies a prominent position, because it was bowl painting that fully manifested the artistic genius of Podillia,” said art historian Volodymyr TYTARENKO. “Unfortunately, the 20th century became a terrible period of total genocide for the ethnic culture of Ukrainians, and the genocide’s scale makes it incomprehensible to anyone ascribing to the common values of humanity. Conscious artists of contemporary Ukraine understand the urgent need to bring back to life these lost spiritual treasures. I dare to name Nikolaieva among them, as she is genuinely mastering the original canons and norms of the ethnic culture of our people. The artist is only at the beginning of her artistic journey, but she already has some quite significant achievements to her name.”

“The artist has produced a lot of unique things, but at this exhibition, she decided to present namely examples of ancient products, in particular the bowls which she reproduces and gives them a second life. We have unique artifacts dating from the Trypillian or Scythian periods, towels and Easter eggs of various times, and they provide the artist with a broad field for reflection and creative searches,” said Serhii BUHAI, the leading exhibition activity methodologist at the Vinnytsia Regional Folk Art Center. “Visitors will be interested to look at these examples of ceramics which characterize Berezhany (Ternopil oblast), Smotrych (Khmelnytskyi oblast), Bar, Sharhorod, and the village of Bubnivka (Vinnytsia oblast). For the fans of her talent, the artist has presented original works as well.”

Vinnytsia has long been famous for its pottery centers and such well-known potters as the Herasymenko brothers, Ivan Honchar, and Oleksii Lutsyshyn. Overall, more than 40 craftspeople are currently engaged in pottery in the region.