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Kings, Queens, and Pawns

15 December, 00:00

By Oleh SYDOR-HIBELINDA Another art gallery, the Soviart Modern Art Center, has joined the nice little crowd of Kolta, Grifon, Akvarel, and Mystetsky Liokh on Kostiolna Street. The Pechersk district state administration remains true to its initiative. Once a small quiet street in the dead center of the city, associated perhaps with only the old Planetarium, Kostiolna has become Andriyivsky uzviz's major rival practically overnight.

The new gallery, with its almost 100 square meters of exposition space looking like a million dollars after a costly "European repair," selects its artists carefully and unerringly. With some (e.g., Kryvolap, Babak) its plans a long and fruitful cooperation, meaning that their works will be displayed not only in Ukraine, but also abroad - e.g., in Germany next year. Mr. Babak contributed his Seven Exercises for Soviart's debut. The first step is always the hardest. The debut is no exception, especially considering the artist's several recent expositions that turned out very good conceptually. A suspicion creeps into one's mind: maybe the greater part of modern Ukrainian abstractionism is just one big illusion? What is happening? Is this art reviving or decaying, degrading? One thing is certain: official recognition has done it no good.

A sequel to Soviart's practice, although not on the up and coming side (all the names are familiar), is secured a certificate of quality (Kyiv does not like experimentation). The gallery's geography: Kharkiv, Odesa, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Lviv. The young artists with their psychedelics, the "authentic ones" like Mykola Malyshko. The "new forms" like Uti Kilter's videos, the maitres Messrs. Babak, Kryvolap, Budnykov. And the show goes on. A new game of chess begins with the familiar kings, queens, and pawns positioned on Kyiv's cultural map. The players deserve credit for one thing: they contain no realists, for the latter have enough exhibit halls and to spare.

Newspaper output №:

№45, (1998)

Section

Culture