December 7, 2022 – January 8, 2023
Wednesday – Saturday 11 AM-6 PM, Sunday 1-6 PM
Opening Reception: December 7, 6-8 PM
PRESS RELEASE
Curator: Irina Danilova
WhiteBox in collaboration with 2B&2C and Project 59, Inc. presents a New York première exhibition: PEREMOGA /victory/ukr., opening December 7, 2022 from 6PM to 8PM. On the cusp of a new year, this show focuses on the main forces of the Ukranian victory. Courage, Love for the Land, Friendship, Collaboration, Support, Strength, Freedom, and Democracy are evoked through the artists’ wartime transformations, which call over and over for the reassurance of values at the foundation of humanity. This show examines life-affirming themes and honors the Ukrainian/American collaboration, a mutual effort in the fight against Russia’s aggressive invasion of Ukraine.
OLIA FEDOROVA. Anger Exercises
paper, ink. 2022
Ukrainian women artists showcased in this exhibition, Olia Fedorova (Kharkiv), Darya Koltsova (Kharkiv), Maria Kulikovska (Kerch, Crimea), Natalia Lisova (Vinnytsia), and Maria Proshkowska (Kyiv), belong to the generation which was born and raised in independent Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Russian occupation of Crimea and military invasion of the Donbass happened when they just started to enter adulthood. These tragic events and the following Russian violence shaped their artistic perspectives. All five women artists are well known in Ukraine and are now becoming renowned throughout Europe.
MARIA PROSHKOWSKA. MACOGON
video performance Kyiv region, February 2022
Art and War are mutually exclusive concepts: creation and destruction. War deteriorates life, stifles creativity, eliminates lightheartedness, and suppresses playfulness in art. This show explores the variations of wartime art and the shifts in perception during the war.
Ecological performances of Natalia Lisova turned into stirring declarations of love for the land. The artworks of Maria Proshkowska call for defense. Olia Fedorova addresses aggressors in a direct manner and investigates the possibilities of restoration. Maria Kulikovska, a Ukrainian refugee from occupied Crimea, examines the scope of the tolerable. In addition to leading a global art effort in support of people in Ukrainian cities and villages who live in danger, Darya Koltsova performs a Lullaby to hundreds of children killed in this war.
NATALIA LISOVA. No Face
Video documentation of performances in Berlin, Germany, 2018
Video: Anton Saienko
The etymological meaning of the word victory varies depending on language and culture. Pobeda in Russian literally means after a tragedy. The Latin word victory means to conquer. Chinese shengli means to succeed. The Ukrainian term for victory, PEREMOGA, is a combination of the words over and ability: beyond the possible. The conflict in Ukraine is an example of unimaginable resistance: the outnumbered Ukrainian army heroically confronts a massive Russian aggression. The stoic defiance has not waned for many months.
DARIA KOLTSOVA
Theory of Protection
An international action of solidarity to Ukraine initiated by Ukrainian artist, 2015-2022
MARIA PROSHKOWSKA
Ark Number 19861001
In collaboration with Andrei Lobov, Photo Self-portrait, 2017
The war is a predominantly masculine conflict, from the male majority of militaries to phallic shapes of cannons and rockets. The Russian attack on Ukraine has been led by the twisted ambition of a psychologically damaged male ruler. The combat literally and symbolically pertains to men while women inevitably belong to the anti-war movement. This exhibition presents a fearless response of five young Ukrainian women artists to wartime atrocities. Their artworks partake in the global effort to thwart the Russian invasion and put an end to this war.
MARIA KULIKOVSKA
Performative Sculpture
MARIA KULIKOVSKA
Dinner Set
non-breakable polymer, microwave and dishwasher safe, 6 plates, 2022
Text by Irina Danilova
