A few decades ago, the studio and nature itself were the only habitat for Ukrainian brush masters. Tired of sticking indoors at the easel in a room smelled of drying oil? Go outside with your sketchbook! Modern artists have a custom to seek inspiration in an art residence — a remote and well-maintained space for the implementation of creative projects.
Giant cans on the Azov beach, easels in the steppe and original road markings in rural backwoods: in recent years, some Ukrainian patrons have provided artists with polygons for creativity. At the beginning of the last century, their predecessors called creators here solely for the sake of art. Over the years, art residences have turned into isolated "hangout" places where, along with creating paintings and objects, one can relax.
Three large private Ukrainian art residences distant from megacities annually host domestic and foreign brush masters. These are not just shelters permanently existing in space, where the artist can escape from the idle vanity, but also a platform for joint creativity. As a rule, staying in an art residence presupposes the implementation of a project with a certain concept that unites the artists' work into a conglomerate. Participants are guided by a specially invited project curator. In fact, the participants go on vacation, because Ukrainian art residences are located in picturesque locations.
Every September the reserved Byriuchyi island at the Azov seashore is occupied by preachers of contemporary art for two weeks. Here, in conditions of post-resort melancholy, two completely different spaces intersect. The first is inhabited by single beach-goers with mattresses on their backs. The second explodes with paints and confuses the inhabitants with happenings. Artistic troops boldly leave traces of creative disgrace: huge cans with sprat and sardines on the shore, painted trash cans and illustrations on the houses of the local recreation centre.
Among the characters, there are both adherents of Ukrainian painting, such as Oleksandr Roytburd, and representatives of a new generation of art led by Zhanna Kadyrova. By the way, in 2013, on her initiative, Byriuchyi turned into a construction site: 50 bags of cement, 2 tons of stone were brought here to build a fountain in the form of a huge fly agaric. There s also an entertainment and educational program for those inside the field. For example, the year before last, the artist Mykola Matsenko held a master class on "painting" the Black Square. He gave people his own copies of Malevich.
Crimean Kalendy only declared themselves just a couple of years ago. This is a manor house in the mountains that welcomes not only artists, but also musicians, writers and actors. The most high-profile event in the life of the art residence can be considered the Trajectory all-Ukrainian plein air. As a result, moving picturesque objects were shown in the capital and in several cities of Ukraine. Last summer, in the Baydar Valley, a Khortytsia Through the Ages-2013 open air was held with the participation of artists from Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden and Lithuania.
Cultural enlightenment of the provinces is performed in Muzychi, an art residence located in one of the villages of the Kyiv Oblast. Artist Alevtina Kakhidze invites foreign colleagues to live in her own home for two months a year. According to Alevtina’s words from an interview, "the residence is needed to learn the picture of the world: these are all living people, artist friends who will tell how they live, work, what is ethical for them and what is not. This is how the picture of the world is taking shape, and a man of art cannot exist without it now, when the world is globalized".
Tying a paintbrush to a bicycle and driving along a country road — the indigenous inhabitants of Muzychi are not surprised with this picture anymore after 5 years of existence of this strange little world. Today, organizers appeal to all concerned Ukrainians with a proposal to contribute to the financing of the project. For this, people will have an opportunity to choose the art residence guests themselves.
Kyiv contemporary artists also received a breath of fresh air. Not so long ago, the first art residence for the young and modern, Kyiv Air, was opened in the Ukrainian capital. From February to September 2013, young people studied painting in theory and in practice, communicating with experts. Thus, the organizers stepped on the warpath with a hardened academic education.
Art residence is an excellent western format of work; experience shows that it goes well in Ukraine. Such laboratories, in contrast to conservative higher educational institutions, create favourable conditions for the emergence of topical works and the discovery of new names. Often, patrons of art sponsor such vacations for artists not in hope for the profit from the painting sale, but out of love for art. After all, it is difficult to consider contemporary painting a reliable investment.
Three large private Ukrainian art residences distant from megacities annually host domestic and foreign brush masters. These are not just shelters permanently existing in space, where the artist can escape from the idle vanity, but also a platform for joint creativity. As a rule, staying in an art residence presupposes the implementation of a project with a certain concept that unites the artists' work into a conglomerate. Participants are guided by a specially invited project curator. In fact, the participants go on vacation, because Ukrainian art residences are located in picturesque locations.
Every September the reserved Byriuchyi island at the Azov seashore is occupied by preachers of contemporary art for two weeks. Here, in conditions of post-resort melancholy, two completely different spaces intersect. The first is inhabited by single beach-goers with mattresses on their backs. The second explodes with paints and confuses the inhabitants with happenings. Artistic troops boldly leave traces of creative disgrace: huge cans with sprat and sardines on the shore, painted trash cans and illustrations on the houses of the local recreation centre.
Among the characters, there are both adherents of Ukrainian painting, such as Oleksandr Roytburd, and representatives of a new generation of art led by Zhanna Kadyrova. By the way, in 2013, on her initiative, Byriuchyi turned into a construction site: 50 bags of cement, 2 tons of stone were brought here to build a fountain in the form of a huge fly agaric. There s also an entertainment and educational program for those inside the field. For example, the year before last, the artist Mykola Matsenko held a master class on "painting" the Black Square. He gave people his own copies of Malevich.
Crimean Kalendy only declared themselves just a couple of years ago. This is a manor house in the mountains that welcomes not only artists, but also musicians, writers and actors. The most high-profile event in the life of the art residence can be considered the Trajectory all-Ukrainian plein air. As a result, moving picturesque objects were shown in the capital and in several cities of Ukraine. Last summer, in the Baydar Valley, a Khortytsia Through the Ages-2013 open air was held with the participation of artists from Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden and Lithuania.
Cultural enlightenment of the provinces is performed in Muzychi, an art residence located in one of the villages of the Kyiv Oblast. Artist Alevtina Kakhidze invites foreign colleagues to live in her own home for two months a year. According to Alevtina’s words from an interview, "the residence is needed to learn the picture of the world: these are all living people, artist friends who will tell how they live, work, what is ethical for them and what is not. This is how the picture of the world is taking shape, and a man of art cannot exist without it now, when the world is globalized".
Tying a paintbrush to a bicycle and driving along a country road — the indigenous inhabitants of Muzychi are not surprised with this picture anymore after 5 years of existence of this strange little world. Today, organizers appeal to all concerned Ukrainians with a proposal to contribute to the financing of the project. For this, people will have an opportunity to choose the art residence guests themselves.
Kyiv contemporary artists also received a breath of fresh air. Not so long ago, the first art residence for the young and modern, Kyiv Air, was opened in the Ukrainian capital. From February to September 2013, young people studied painting in theory and in practice, communicating with experts. Thus, the organizers stepped on the warpath with a hardened academic education.
Art residence is an excellent western format of work; experience shows that it goes well in Ukraine. Such laboratories, in contrast to conservative higher educational institutions, create favourable conditions for the emergence of topical works and the discovery of new names. Often, patrons of art sponsor such vacations for artists not in hope for the profit from the painting sale, but out of love for art. After all, it is difficult to consider contemporary painting a reliable investment.
