“We all live in one world”

People around the world expressed their sympathy to the Japanese nation following their recent tragedy — each person in their own way. Olha Petrova, honored artist of Ukraine, Ph.D., and professor at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, is among those people. The Kolo Art Gallery in Kyiv recently hosted her exhibit “Japan. Yesterday and Today,” which consists of pictures and videos.

The Japanese theme in Petrova’s art is not random, as the author has both artistic and personal connections with Japan. She is friends with the Katayama family that established Chornobyl Aid Foundation in 1986 to help Ukraine. Sensei Morimoto, a famous Japanese calligraphist, opened her “Samurai’s Sister” exhibit in 2005. Osaka and Tokyo hosted Petrova’s art exhibitions twice.

“What is our point in showing the exhibit? We show that we are a civic society, we have our own point of view, we are able to think, understand and sympathize… The event on March 11 in Japan did not happen somewhere to someone but it happened to us as we live in one world,” the artist says.

There is a symbolic scroll at the exhibit, where signatures of support to the Japanese nation are collected. The scroll will be passed over to the Embassy of Japan in Ukraine.

Readers are invited to join the action at the Kolo Art Gallery (Instytutska 16) until April 19, from 5 to 8 p.m.