Social research art project “Who am I today” became the first cultural online project to respond to the challenges of the 2020 pandemic year.
Art project concept:
Creating your own style is a priority, which the artist turns to from the moment of own conscious creative search. And this is understandable, because the realization of one’s own potential is the primary value, the essence of the artist’s nature, a continuous process of learning potential.
It is in choosing the greatest complexity and strength of personality. Courage in achieving a goal, in a way outside of social constraints, existence outside the norm.
Each story is an intertwining of difficulties experienced, after which a strong personality is formed, the individuality of divergent thinking. They are not of the masses, their life is a struggle, their core is strength.
The artist paves his way, passing a red line through a million grey lines. Stories from life, about yourself, your search, about people like you, about those who have the courage to be beyond acceptance.
Each individual exists separately and together with others. History has examples of both the complete merging of man and society and the complete alienation. In society, the individual develops his own individuality, and at the same time acquires the features of a certain class, nation, society.
A person as one unit of society has the features of this very society. But it’s not just one, but one of…
The project became the first in its sector after the introduction of quarantine and restrictions on holding mass cultural events.
The online gallery was “built” in one week after the introduction of the lockdown in the spring of 2020 and opened on March 23, later it expanded, offering visitors new rooms.
The gallery is open to the world and continues to receive visitors. The number of online visitors is over 1000 people.
The social research art project “Who am I today” started in February 2020 and was implemented in several stages on the basis of a specially created virtual gallery “Mokonshu”, curated by Iryna Vorona and Pavlo Baltazyuk.
Following the results of the virtual project, the participants presented the results of their study of the impact of self-isolation on creativity in the Kyiv gallery “Mytets”, from 1 to 8 August 2020.
The project consists of two parts: before and after covid-19. The first part included the creative works of the participants – painting, graphics, mixed media, sculpture, installation and photo collage.
Participants:
Khrystyna Khmil, Olena Shtepura, Alis La Luna, Yevhen Artamonov, Valentyn Chornyi, Maria Bondarenko, Astian Rey, Anastasia Avula, Yaroslav Bilyk, Anna-Khrystyna Zinchenko, Lydia Matvienko, Vitaliy Sviatets, Anna Kisla, Elmira Shemsedinova, Anna Bitaeva, Dmytro Zazymko, Anna Kozyreva, Anna Varshavska.
An individual study within the project was carried out by a creative tandem of Valentyn Chornyi and Maria Bondarenko, creating the installation “Big Hryvnia”, which serves as a measure of modern Ukrainian life.
During the lockdown, the artists conducted a social survey on the streets of Kyiv with video documentation of the results.
Text from the authors:
How did the idea to create the “Big Hryvnia” come about?
This was one of our discussions with Valik (numerous and endless))). Topic: is it worth lifting a lost money from the ground? Valik was categorically against. Like, it’s not your money, it will not bring you happiness, and in general I am only interested in the money I earn. Well … that’s his position. Everything is easier for me. It’s just a piece of paper. It can be given to the needy, or musicians in the subway, or buy a package of food for homeless animals, etc.
Then the topic became more global, how a person treats money. For some, money is a criterion of happiness, for others – an opportunity to gain knowledge, experience or satisfaction. For someone else, the only purpose of existence. Depending on how a person treats money, a small bill can grow and grow until it becomes … “Big hryvnia”!
Within the theme of the project Dmytro Zazymko presented his “Artifacts”, which symbolize the moment of creation and destruction, the struggle of man and time with the things of our environment. The sculptor Astian Rey through the image of the “Creator” showed his rethinking of the mystical and religious experience of mankind in the context of the future development of modern society.
The second part of the project is a video presentation that the artists worked on during the 2020 lockdown caused by covid-19. During the art exhibition, the “Art book” catalogue was presented with a series of sketches that artists worked on during quarantine, especially for the art project. There was also a panel discussion with representatives of the creative industry on the topic “Online vs Offline”.
In general, the social research art project “Who am I today” includes the following events:
- 1. Opening of a virtual gallery, with a separate room for presentation of video works of participants. Opening date: March 23.
Enter to the virtual gallery by following the link:
Events: https://www.facebook.com/events/196317588325004/?active_tab=discussion
Video guide from V. Chorny and M. Bondarenko on the Youtube channel:
- From our participants was created a series of video appeals on the topics: “who I am today?”, “a look into the future”, “art during the lockdown”.
A series of videos with participants, curators and organizers took place in cooperation with the Ukrainian-Austrian news agency “The News & Culture”.
Video work allowed to save the necessary moment of communication: the author-viewer.
And what is important is the presence of social networks, thanks to which, even in virtual reality, the art project received the usual communication for the audience: author-viewer-author:
An exhibition of works by participants of the art project “Who am I today” was held in the oldest Kyiv art gallery “Mytets” from 1 to 8 August 2020.
The public initiative – art challenge #мійкреативнийкарантин (engl. translation- “my creative quarantine”) was created, which was implemented jointly with the project partners, the Ukrainian-Austrian news agency “The News & Culture”.
Date: April 1 – May 30, 2020. Format: Online. The event was organized in the format of a challenge on social networks Facebook, Instagram and Telegram:
Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/560312494599996/
On August 6, a panel discussion took place at the “Mytets” Gallery in Kyiv
Panel discussion with representatives of the creative industry, business, politics and virtual programming as a leading area of development of the creative industry during the pandemic, on the topic “Online vs Offline” within the project. Venue: Gallery “Mytets”. Date: August 6, 2020.
Online broadcast: https://fb.watch/3So4l88CGA/
Online catalogue was created
An open presentation of the “Art book” catalogue, that took place in the “Mytets” gallery.
Date of presentation: August 6, 2020.
Publication of an online edition of the catalogue with open access, at the link: http://i-vorona.com/artbook/
More than twenty partners were involved to the art project:
- The National Union of Artists of Ukraine
- The Youth Association of the Kyiv organization of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine
- Art Gallery “Mytets”
- “Tuzov” Gallery
- the Art Spatium Foundation
- information portal “ArtsLooker”
- the Ukrainian-Austrian news agency “The News&Culture”
- Magazine “The Cultural Trend”
- Ukrainian Association of Women’s Studies in Art “UAFRA”
- TUASHO Agency
- Information Portal – MoeMisto.ua
- “Submarine” Creative Support Foundation
- “Fine Arts” Magazine
- “Unava” Agricultural Firm
- “In Art” Media Company
- “Chernozem” Media Company
- “ArtBureau” Information Portal
- Video Art “Snow Studio”
- Dasha Bilenko artblog
- Fashion Online Magazine -VTrendi.com.
- News of Ukraine -Tut-Ua.com
- Art News
- ZABUGOR.COM Luxury Travel Club
- “Globus” Vienna Insurance Group.