Unfolding Landscapes
Landscape and poetics in contemporary Ukrainian art
29 January – 1 May 2022
Drawn from a theme of nature and topology, the exhibition takes us on a journey through Ukraine as it is now, and how it could be, through the eyes of emerging artists, and influential landscape painters. This large exhibition consists of selected art works by contemporary Ukrainian-born artists from the younger and older generation. Through their work we learn how the landscape is used, how it is perceived, and what knowledge and understanding we can draw from its unfolding. It also contributes to the celebration of the 30-year jubilee of Danish-Ukrainian cultural relations.
The theme of man and nature runs through traditional Ukrainian poetics, reflected across the country’s folklore, visual arts, traditional music, and poetry. Like tales of folklore, the landscape becomes a sacred guide, allowing us to learn, and pass knowledge through our generations; providing us the means to remain grounded in the earth of the unfolding universe.
In a country known for its radically changing infrastructures, both geographically and politically, it is no surprise that Ukrainian artistic conscience remains rooted in these most elemental of themes. With the Ukrainian art scene moving out of the central urban hub of Kyiv, a new generation of artists are finding new outposts to explore the psycho-geography of their country.
Unfolding Landscapes presents more than 30 artists working across painting, drawing, sculpture, installation and video. The exhibition takes us on a journey through Ukraine as it is now, and how it could be, through the eyes of a new generation of artists.
Three themes run as read treads trough the exhibition: “Station to Station - journeys through Ukrainian culture”, “Topology - Abstractions, and observations of a changing landscape” and “Vanishing Landscapes - studies of the ancient and modern landscapes of Ukraine”.
Represented artists:
Anna Bekerskaya, Nazar Bilyk, Katya Buchatska, Hryhoriy Havrylenko, Ksenia Hnylytska, Oleksandr Hnylytskyi, Oleg Holosiy, Lucy Ivanova, Nikita Kadan, Zhanna Kadyrova, Pavlo Kerestey, Vitaliy Kokhan, Alexey Kondakov, Dana Kosmina, Taras Kovach, Mykola Kryvenko, Anatoliy Kryvolap, Katya Libkind. Pavlo Makov, Sasha Maslov, Mykola Matsenko, Yevgen Nikiforov, Julie Poly, Georgiy Potopalskiy, Yuriy Pikul, Vlada Ralko, Stepan Ryabchenko, Vasyl Ryabchenko, Ruїns Collective, Andriy Sahaidakovskyi, Oleksiy Sai, Yuri Solomko, Marina Skugareva, Tiberiy Silvashi, Sergei Sviatchenko, Elena Subach & Vyacheslav Poliakov, Oleg Tistol, Yuri Yefanov, Lesia Zayats, Viktor Zaretskyi, Anna Zvyagintseva, Alexander Zhyvotkov
Exhibition Curator: Faye Dowling.
Consultants: Natalia Matsenko and Sergei Sviatchenko.
Partner: Abramovyth Art, Kyiv.
Sponsors: Ruslan Tymofeev (co-founder of Adventures Lab venture capital fund), Danish Art Foundation and Europæisk Kulturregion.
UNFOLDING LANDSCAPES: LANDSCAPE AND POETICS IN CONTEMPORARY UKRAINIAN ART is on show 29 January – 1 May, 2022, at the Art Centre Silkeborg Bad, Denmark. 
