Art watching over life

On April 19, the Institute of the Problems of Contemporary Art launched the International Competition Exhibit of Eco-Poster. Namely this exhibit started a number of events, which are going to take place in Kyiv until April 29 within the framework of the International Triennial of Eco-Poster “4th Block.”

It is the first place the triennial takes place in Ukrainian capital. Before the main exposition has taken place in Kharkiv and was displayed, besides Ukraine, in Denmark, Great Britain, Turkey, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Russia, and the US. Actually, the fact that the triennial was founded in Kharkiv is quite logical, as the project is headed by Oleh Veklenko, professor at the department of graphic design of Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts, based on which quite a strong school of graphic poster is developing in Ukraine.

For the first time the International Exhibit “4th Block” took place in 1991 and was dedicated to the fifth anniversary of the Chornobyl catastrophe. The super task the organizers set before themselves back at that time was to draw the attention to the state of ecology on the planet not with the help of words, rather by means of a more interesting for perception “artistic artillery,” like the best samples of the modern world poster on environmental topics. For a poster executed in a talented way, following the complicated laws of the genre, even in the contemporary space, cluttered up with visual ads, remains an efficient means. And if one turns to history, posters as a method of visual propaganda have been enjoying certain privileges over almost three centuries, since the time of its transformation into a separate kind of art from the so-called propaganda engravings of the 15th century.

During 10 days, April 19 through 29, over 1,000 best works selected from the whole world, will be presented in Kyiv. The visitors will see four large-scale exhibits: International Exhibit-Competition of Eco-Poster; International Exhibit-Competition of Cultural-Show Poster; International Exhibit of Posters dedicated to the Chornobyl Catastrophe; the Exhibit of Works by Jury Members.

The educational component will add to the exhibit part of the triennial. Within the framework of the project, workshops of famous designers such as Martin Woodtli (Switzerland), Lex Drewinski (Germany), Vitalii Shostia (Ukraine), Anna Naumova (Russia), Radovan Jenko (Slovenia).

After all, the International Triennial of Ecology Poster “4th Block” is also a competition and according to its results the jury will define the winners among the presented works of graphic designers.

Read the list of the winners and a report from the triennial in one of the following issues of The Day.