MALEVICH+

Ukrainian avant-garde collection

The Malevich+ art project presents the heritage of Ukrainian avant-garde artists from the fund collection of Art Arsenal. During the summer, visitors will be able to see the unique cultural and artistic phenomenon of Ukrainian avant-garde, in particular, the original works of the signature artist of the XX century – Kazimir Malevich, whose life and work were inherently connected with Ukraine, a fact that is still largely ignored by foreign art experts. To a great extent, the reason behind this is the absence of the artist’s original works in the collections of Ukrainian museums. We currently have two paintings by Kazimir Malevich – in the collection of P.F. Lunev Parkhomivsky historical artistic museum and in Art Arsenal. The visitors of the Malevich+ project have a unique chance to see one of the two aforementioned rarities.

The exhibition is a way to commemorate Ihor Dychenko, a renowned art connoisseur and collector, who believed his vocation to be preserving the heritage of artists who were marginalized by the Soviet authorities and, quoting the collector himself, “exiled to a creative business trip to Solovki, Magadan and Kolyma”. Organizing exhibitions of works from his collection all over the world – in France, Japan, Russia, Germany, the United Kingdom – Ihor Dychenko was the first to give a Ukrainian emphasis to the phenomenon known as “Russian avant-garde” in the whole world. The Malevich + project will become a replica of the exhibition of the same name that took place in Poland in 1997. Back then, the focus was given to research, re-establishment of historical and artistic justice, as forgotten artists, whose work was labeled as “anti-Soviet” by the official party ideology, finally gained their audience. Describing the exhibition, Ihor Dychenko wrote about Stalin’s terror concerning the Boychukists, about Bogomazov’s experiments that were well ahead of their time, about the innovations of stage designers Vadim Meller and Anatoliy Petrytskiy.

It was two decades ago, but the cultural field still requires more complete information, other discourses, which would allow for a deeper study and representation of the subject of Ukrainian avant-garde. We hope that the Malevich + project will stimulate reconsideration of the creative heritage of renowned representatives of this movement, whose influence had a crucial role in the development of art worldwide.

During the opening of the exhibition, famous Ukrainian artist Mykola Matsenko will hold an artistic campaign Ukrainian Souvenir, which will serve as the final part of his longstanding project A Square for Every House. Mykola Matsenko has been doing it since 2006 to promote Kazimir Malevich’s Black Square. The idea of the campaign is that the artist paints copies of Black Square and sells them at giveaway price at “popular public places.” Art Arsenal will be one of such places.

The space of the Malevich+ exhibition will also host events held within Malevich Days, organized in collaboration with Kyiv-Mohyla Business School and other cultural institutions. From June, 9 to June, 11, museums, educational institutions and third places will host lectures, round-table discussions and debates, dedicated to Kazimir Malevich’s life and work.