The exhibition of contemporary art of Belarus “Every Day. Art. Solidarity. Resistance” will open at Mystetskyi Arsenal
Due to quarantine restrictions in Kyiv, the exhibition “Every day. Art. Solidarity. Resistance” will be open to all visitors after April 9. Media representatives are welcome to visit the exhibition at their convenience on March 24th and 25th. To register, please fill out the media accreditation form. Interviews with the participants of the exhibition will be on UA: Radio Culture in the program “Shtuka” with Lyudmila Lyakhevich at 12:10 on March 25.
On March 25th, on Freedom Day in Belarus, a large-scale exhibition of the contemporary art of Belarus “Every Day. Art. Solidarity. Resistance” will open at Mystetskyi Arsenal.
“Kozhny dzen” (in Belarussian meaning “every day”) is the slogan protesters in Belarus shout since early August 2020 to emphasize the duration and rhythm of the resistance, to express confidence that the protests will continue tomorrow, that they will not end. The exhibition project that will span 4 000 square meters at Mystetskyi Arsenal will tell the visitors about the history of protests and the phenomenon of solidarity in Belarus. Nearly 50 Belarusian artists will present their works at the exhibition.
“The art perfectly helps to understand the state of the world, illuminates ideas, feelings, and hopes. It has a diagnostic effect: the viewer, who is always a co-author at the same time, is being immersed in the reality that the artist and the curator are dealing with. All this contributes to our understanding, our sense of the history at the fingertips. The exhibition of Belarusian contemporary art today, at this historical moment, is not only about an aesthetic experience, although this experience is, of course, above all. It is also about an intellectual immersion in the causes of the political reality of Belarus and an important gesture of support for the Belarusian cultural scene,” — said Olesia Ostrovska-Liuta, Director General of Mystetskyi Arsenal.
The Every Day exhibition is organized with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation.
“What do we know about Belarus? Not much — paradoxically, since we are neighbors. Over the last year, our knowledge has significantly expanded. We have learned that in this country, there are citizens, a civil society, a critical mass of brave people who are ready to take risks for the sake of freedom and dignity. It resonates very much with our historical experience, values, and aspirations. Our abrupt knowledge about modern Belarus, having expanded so suddenly, has only whetted our appetite for new knowledge. Apparently, nothing speaks so well about the country and its people as artistic self-expression. We sincerely want to know more about you, dear Belarusians. Today we open to Ukrainian citizenship another unprogrammed, somewhat unexpected page of the modern aesthetic everyday life of our good and brave neighbors — their bold and extraordinary art, deeply national, but inscribed in the context of the world and European culture. Thus, this exhibition is our simple contribution to understanding the spirit of the freedom-loving Belarusian people, who, we believe, will overcome all the challenges and gain the freedom they deserve,”— said Oleksandr Sushko, Executive Director of the International Renaissance Foundation.
On March 25th, during the opening day, a visiting studio of the project’s media partner UA: Radio Culture will be set up to broadcast from the exhibition. The live broadcast is scheduled to air between 3 PM and 6 PM. During the three-hour radio marathon, the listeners will learn about the idea of creating a project, the specifics of remote preparation of an international exhibition, as well as ask their questions to the curatorial group and the artists. The hosts of the visiting studio will be Natalia Hrabchenko and Liudmyla Liakhevych.
The Every Day exhibition presents a cross-section of contemporary art that constructs and manifests pulsating forms of interaction, resistance, collectiveness, and a future that we are already living today — every day.
Curatorial group: Aleksei Borisionok, Andrei Dureika, Marina Naprushkina, Sergey Shabohin, Antonina Stebur, Maxim Tyminko.
Project partners: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Ukraine, Heinrich Boell Foundation Kyiv, FES Regional Office “Dialogue Eastern Europe,” Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Ukraine and Belarus, Representative Office of the Hanns Seidel Foundation in Ukraine, Belarusian Culture Solidarity Foundation.
The exhibition will run from March 25 to May 4, 2021.
Open hours: Tuesday—Sunday, 11 a.m.–8 p.m.