Revolution: in the streets or in the minds?

The word “revolution” has become trendy in Ukraine. Thus, recently the PinchukArtCentre invited different people – artists, journalists, and art critics – to reflect on tradition and revolution, and the connections between these concepts. The Day offers its readers the most interesting thoughts of the discussion participants.

Bjorn GELDHOF, art manager of the PinchukArtCentre:

“It is strange for me that Ukrainians perceive revolution in the political context. In the West we see it differently. The idea of revolution is in the individual. It takes place in the people’s heads first of all. We can say that the development of ideas causes revolution, which becomes a tradition then. Or it can be another way: the ideas originate from the body of a tradition, they start developing and cause revolution. And the revolution gradually turns into a body of the tradition. Thus, Auguste Renoir was not accepted, he was misunderstood and unknown during his life in the 19th century. But the development of the Renoir’s ideas, his pictures and art style started revolution in due time, which was later called impressionism. And now it is a part of tradition.”

Denys IVANOV, director of Arthouse Traffic distributing company:

“Cinema has always been a reflection of both traditions and revolutions, or even revolutionary attempts and tradition violation attempts. For example, after the so-called Orange Revolution three movies were shot about it. The nation is a living organism that longs to have offspring, first of all, and then expand the area of its influence. Today this organism is injured and we can see it in the national cinema.”

Volodymyr KUZNIETSOV, artist and PinchukArtCentre Prize nominee:

“The lack of education of Ukrainian artists and their “isolation” are very tangible. There is no decent establishment where a person, who decided to devote his life to art, would go to receive a complete education. The only possible solution of tradition’s crisis is self-education, which became possible due to the revolutionary invention of the Internet and globalization of this education in a positive sense.”

Maria KHRUSHCHAK, art critic:

“The revolution of an artist is possible if his social life’s space, residence, living conditions change and so on. I do not believe in a global art revolution without changes in social and political life. Possibly, such revolution takes place only in case of changes in the political situation in the country. But now there are some people in Ukraine who create modern art. Although our country is sick, this art is healthy, interesting, new and valuable. And the West is interested in it.”

Vitalii PORTNIKOV, editor-in-chief of the TVi channel:

“We live in between tradition and revolution. Ukraine is a feudal country in terms of thinking. Moreover, it is also a hermetic country, slow in accepting and digesting any innovations. Our society is practically deprived of realizing the social and economic situation in which it lives, or rather, it survives… This society is sick, it thinks inadequately and that is why it is impossible to create decent modern art.”

What do you think? Should the discussion on tradition and revolution must go on?