Bronx River Art Center (BRAC) - IN CONVERSATION: PEREMOHA Sat, Apr 29th at 6pm

 

Bronx River Art Center is pleased to present: IN CONVERSATION: A Curator/Artist Talk in Conjunction with the Exhibition PEREMOHA/victory/ukr. at the show's closing reception Saturday April 29th at 4:00 PM

For our April Artist Talk BRAC welcomes Ukrainian-American Artist and Curator Irina Danilova who will introduce the works of Ukrainian artists featured in BRAC's current exhibition, PEREMOHA:Victory/ukr. Olia Fedorova (Kharkiv), Daria Koltsova (Kharkiv), Maria Kulikovska (Kerch, Crimea), Natalia Lisova (Vinnytsia), and Maria Proshkowska (Kyiv). Danilova will then engage in conversation with BRAC’s Executive Director, Gail Nathan, as well as several of the artists in the exhibition who will join us on Zoom from Ukraine. We will talk about "The War", the artist's role in resisting the Russian assault, the hope for a Democratic Republic and peaceful co-existence with its neighbors. Click Here to RSVP for Artist Talk Over the past year, the democratic nations of the globe have come together to support Ukraine for their ultimate success against the imperialistic aggression of Russia. Ukraine’s victory, and the preservation of a democratic world order is the main motivations for this show. The artworks conjure courage, love for the land, friendship, collaboration, support, strength, and freedom from oppression. This show is, in effect, an affirmation of the values that form the cornerstone of humanity, and it pays tribute to the cooperation of Ukrainians and Americans. The show warns all of us in the West of Putin's intention to re-establish a Russian empire under autocratic rule. We Americans would be wise to heed the threat to world democracy that this war can manifest if left unchecked. The Ukrainian women artists showcased in this exhibition belong to a generation that was raised in independent Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Russian occupation of Crimea and its military invasion of the Donbass occurred when they were just entering adulthood. These tragic events, and the associative Russian barbarianism, shaped these artists perspectives on the human condition and the need to take a stand for Ukraine’s autonomy. These five women artists have become known in Ukraine for their courageous outspokenness and are now becoming renowned throughout Europe for their strength in the face of oppression and atrocities. The ecological performances of Natalia Lisova become stirring declarations of love for the land. Since February 24, 2022, she has remained in Ukraine, traveling around country to conduct art workshops for refugee teens and children to express their war driven heightened emotions.  The artworks of Maria Proshkowska call for resistance. In the video documentation of her performance that was made in the vicinity of Kiev just a few days before the Russian invasion, she is patiently preparing her personal weapon of defense, self-made from kitchen supplies.  Olia Fedorova addresses the aggressors in a direct verbal appeal by exploring the possibilities of restoration in her performance series “Making Yoga in the Burned Woods”. Maria Kulikovska, a Ukrainian refugee from occupied Crimea in 2014, examines the boundaries of the tolerable. Her personal life was directly intertwined with the war when pro-Russian forces in occupied Donbass used her sculptures for target practice. Daria Koltsova, who has lead an international art project in support of people living in danger in Ukrainian cities and villages, will perform a farewell Lullaby to the hundreds of children killed in this war on the night of the opening. Curator Irina Danilova says of her intent in creating this exhibition: “War is predominantly a masculine militaristic conflict, ironically manifested through the phallic shapes of cannons and rockets. Women largely belong to the anti-war movement and this exhibition presents a fearless response of five young Ukrainian women artists to the atrocities of wartime. Their artworks partake in the global effort to thwart the Russian invasion and put an end to this war.” Along with the presentation of war related works of Ukrainian emerging women artists, one of the main goals of this show is to bring Ukraine closer to Americans and to show our mutual effort in bringing about the PEREMOHA. A photo documentation by Alexei Zagdansky, an immigrant from Kyiv, of the antiwar movement in New York City in support of the ongoing resistance of the Ukrainian people will also be presented. PEREMOHA/victory/ukr. premiered in December 2022 at the WhiteBox alternative art space in the Lower East Side. There it was a site specific installation organized by Ukrainian-American artist and curator, Irina Danilova, who was born and raised in Kharkiv. This iteration of the exhibition has been substantially expanded to include new artworks, a photo documentations and a live performances now documented and projected as part of the show. The Bronx River Art Center will hold aloft the PEREMOHA in anticipation of Ukrainica’s ultimate victory. IN CONVERSATION is a monthly Artist Talk program envisioned to foster dialogue, exchange and reflection about Contemporary Art issues by featuring local, national, and international guest artists and curators working in various disciplines and creative practices. The monthly program consists of the presentation of selected works followed by an open forum with attending audience members. Click Here to RSVP for Artist Talk