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Flowers or explosions | Квіти чи вибухи

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КВІТИ ЧИ ВИБУХИ. Альона Кузнєцова

21.09.23 – 7.10.23 (продовжено до 14.10.23)
Відкриття 21.09.23 о 18:30

Forsa Gallery представляє виставку Альони Кузнєцової “Квіти чи вибухи”, в якій художниця звертається до осмислення шизофренічної дихотомії квітучого життя та смерті.

До проекту увійшли картини, графічні роботи на папері та об’єкти (живі квіти, кістки тварин у скляних колбах-вазах), над якими Альона працювала впродовж 2022 та 2023 років, що дає можливість прослідкувати рефлексію автора щодо війни від самого початку.
В перші місяці вторгнення всі українці пережили тяжкий стрес, який забрав відчуття весни, краси пробудження природи, але поступово ми навчились жити, працювати і навіть знаходити натхнення перебуваючи занадто поряд з війною.

В своїх зворушливих картинах художниця використовує багатошарову мішану техніку, що включає живопис, аплікацію, вишивку і цяткування бісером, звертаючись до традицій українського ужиткового мистецтва, а також в’язані її бабусею серветки у вигляді квітів. Майже на всіх роботах присутні очі спостерігача подій, а кожна з робіт має назву того контексту, що був актуальним на момент її створення.

Художниця в проекті «Квіти чи вибухи» ставить ряд запитань. Що є війна, як не глобальні зміни, коли виживає той, хто гнучкіше пристосовується або до ризиків, або до умов, хто пройшов і подолав травму, і знаходить ресурс та сенс радіти, і отримувати задоволення? Що є квітка, як не маніфестація життя, така крихка і недовговічна? Вибух, як символ, схожий на квітку, з центру на периферію. Є навіть гармати з назвою Піони, а візуально вогонь їх пострілу схожий на півонію. Хіба це не символічно? Вибухи досі відбуваються по всій Україні, гинуть люди, а квіти продовжують цвісти, незважаючи ні на що.

FORSA GALLERY – одна з провідних арт-галерей Києва, яка представляє сучасне мистецтво в Україні та закордоном. Галерею було засновано у 2019 р. Алісою Нанавовою, куратором та галеристкою з більш ніж 10-річним досвідом роботи в
міжнародному арт-бізнесі, реалізації маштабних виставкових проектів у Відні, Брюсселі, Базелі, Лондоні, участі в арт-ярмарках, формуванні приватних та корпоративних колекцій.

Партнери виставки:
Національний науково-природничий музей НАН України та Квіткарня Ю.

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ALENA KUZNETSOVA x Forsa Gallery x Hyatt Regency | Flowers or explosions | | View info

FLOWERS OR EXPLOSIONS. Alena Kuznetsova
21.09.23 – 7.10.23 (prolonged till 14.10.23)
Opening on 21.09.23 at 6:30 p.m
Forsa Gallery presents Alena Kuznetsova’s exhibition “Flowers or Explosions”, in which the artist addresses the understanding of the schizophrenic dichotomy of blooming life and death.

The project includes paintings, graphic works on paper, and objects (fresh flowers, animal bones in glass vases), which Alena was creating during 2022 and 2023, making it possible to follow the author’s reflection on the war from the beginning.

In the first months of the invasion, all Ukrainians experienced severe stress, which took away the feeling of spring, and the beauty of the awakening of nature. Still, gradually we learned to live, work, and even find inspiration while being too close to the war.

In her touching paintings, Alena uses a multi-layered mixed technique, which includes painting, appliqué, embroidery and beading, referring to the traditions of Ukrainian applied art, as well as napkins in the form of flowers knitted by her grandmother. Almost all works have the eyes of an observer of events, and each of the works has the name of the context that was
relevant at the time of its creation.

The artist in the project “Flowers or Explosions” asks several questions. What is war, if not global changes, when the one who survives is the one who adapts more flexibly either to risks or to new conditions, who has gone through and overcome trauma, and who finds the resource and meaning to rejoice and get pleasure? What is a flower, if not a manifestation of life, so fragile and short-lived? Burst is like a flower-like symbol from the center to the periphery. There are even cannons called Peonies, and visually the fire of their shot looks like a peony. Isn’t that symbolic? Explosions still occur all over Ukraine, people die, and flowers continue to bloom, no matter what.

FORSA GALLERY is one of the leading art galleries in Kyiv, which represents contemporary art in Ukraine and abroad. The gallery was founded in 2019 by Alisa Nananova, a curator and gallerist with more than 10 years of experience in the international art business, implementation of large-scale exhibition projects in Vienna, Brussels, Basel, London, participation in art fairs,
formation of private and corporate collections.

Exhibition partners:
The National Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and Flower Shop Yu

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Press | Преса 

Експозиція | Exposition 

Photo: Ruslan Synhaewsky

Відкриття виставки | Opening evening 

Photo: Ruslan Synhaewsky

Роботи | Artworks 

 

Artist Talk: Про серію картин “Квіти чи Вибухи” в Forsa Gallery

Ukrainian 12 | Group exhibition at Portraits International gallery (Brussels, Belgium)

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The new Brussels Gallery Portraits International marks one year of the war against Ukraine with a fund-raising exhibition of 12 Ukrainian artists showing original works and art prints. The exhibition curated by Claire Soper is organized in collaboration with Tsekh Gallery in Kyiv, the James Butterwick Gallery in London, and with the help of Art Dealer, Katia Vozianova and journalist/contemporary art researcher Iryna Belan.
Names of the artists:
1. Oleksandr Bohomazov
2. Logvinenko Evgeniy
3. Ievgen Petrov
4. Slava Samoilenko
5. Mykola Bilous
6. Natalia Korf-Ivaniuk
7. Alena Kuznetsova
8. Liza Portnova
9. Andril Kyrychenko
10. Yuriy Musatov
11. Eva Kafidowa
12. Nikita Vlasov
15% of sales of all artworks will be donated to UNHCR humanitarian relief actions and the Takshtab Charity, directly supporting displaced mothers and children under 3 in Ukraine.
Portraits of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be displayed in the gallery and auctioned online worldwide during the six-week exhibition. 100% of the auction proceeds will be donated equally to good causes. Portraits were newly made by this year’s gallery exhibitors Dutch painter Toon Teeken, Belgian Chilian artist Carlos Becerra and by other volunteers.
Portraits International is a new art gallery, bookstore, and academy, dedicated to the world of portraiture. Next to art, the gallery will offer biographies, lectures, courses, competitions, and team-building exercises in multiple languages, linked to the themes of the exhibitions. Portraitists, writers, and filmmakers can use the new gallery to find clients worldwide interested in commissioning a quality portrait or biography.
Claire Soper (EN/FR), claire@portraits.international
+32 472 70 85 13
Peter van der Hijden (EN/FR/NL/DE) peter@portraits.international
+32 483 12 90 19
Website: www.portraits.international
Address: 2 Galerie des Princes 2 / 16-18 Rue des Dominicains, 1000 Brussels
The long journey of these paintings was probably destined for them by fate: this exhibition includes 7 of my works from two series about the road – Broad Perspective and Kill bill. The history of both series began somewhere at the same time back in 2013 (!) both during the long car trip. Now it took almost a year, a big hook through Copenhagen, and getting to know a few more wonderful people, so that the works finally got to the Portraits International gallery for the Ukrainian 12 group exhibition, together with the graphics of Oleksandr Bogomazov (!) from gallery partner James Butterwick.
It is also symbolic that in 2022-2023, all physical movements from Ukraine to the West also became much longer because of the war, even more time and reason for deep immersion, the landscape outside the window relentlessly reminds me of my Stripes and Kill bill (I realized this back in the fall), not only from the window of a car, and now also a bus, and a train, and an airplane, because I continue to document the material for further works.
Експозиція | Exposition

Роботи | Artworks

Широка перспектива | Broad perspective series

Kill Bill

 

Відкриття виставки | Opening evening 

Photo: Benoit Collet

THE ART OF RESISTANCE | Group show of Ukrainian artists in Valencia, Spain

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I am so impressed by this show The Art of Resistance at the @expos_artgemesi !
The photo with Sasha’s portrait is just a small part of the exhibition, which actually covers two floors of a very beautiful modern space with works by about 50 Ukrainian artists (special thanks and super respect to curators @pechenman and @y.stepanok, who did enormously great job and wrote ALL the names of the participants in Facebook event! 💛💙).
And I was personally very impressed to see this painting, printed for an exhibition probably 1-in-1 (yes, the original is still in Kyiv, but soon hope it will reach Western Europe). I was waiting for only small posters of the beginning of the war among my works there. @sasha.horbatiuk joked he has a feeling like he is in Valencia)
You are very welcome if nearby!
24.05 – 5.06
Free entrance
Opening hours 6-9 pm and from 11 am to 2 pm on Sundays.