Yara Arts Group and UIA to present "Poetry: Installations and Performances" (01/17/99)

Yara Arts Group and UIA to present "Poetry: Installations and Performances"

NEW YORK - The Yara Arts Group and the Ukrainian Institute of America will present "Poetry: Installations and Performances" on January 29-31. The weekend festival of poetry will include three major events: an art exhibit, performances of poetry by Yara actors and poetry readings by poets. All the events will take place at the Ukrainian Institute of America, 2 E. 79th St. at Fifth Avenue.

Yara has invited 15 visual artists to create installations inspired by Ukrainian poems throughout the rooms of the institute's newly restored mansion. Participants artists include Judith Campbell, Yarko Cigash, Anya Farion, Petro Hrytsyk, Luba Kierkosz, Alex Kytasty, Larisa Lawrynenko, Olga Maryschuk (curator of the event), Margaret Morton, Ana Rewakowicz, Joel Schlemowitz, Anna Sidorenko, Ilyona Sochynsky, Watoku Ueno, Sergei Yakunin and Hilary Zarycky.

Most of the artists have chosen to work with poems by contemporary Ukrainian poets, such as Oleh Lysheha, Vasyl Makhno, Attila Mohylny and Oksana Zabuzhko. Some have chosen poems from the 1920s by Pavlo Tychyna, and others will elaborate on ancient Ukrainian incantations. The art exhibit will open on Friday, January 29, at 8 p.m. and the works will remain on exhibit throughout the weekend.

A special gala at 8 p.m. on Saturday, January 30, will feature Yara actors performing portions of their new work, "In Verse." Yara's theatrical process is unique. In rehearsals, members bring together poems written by Ukrainian authors and translations of these poems by Virlana Tkacz and Wanda Phipps.

The translations are created specifically for the project during rehearsals with actors to attain a sensitive and dynamic commingling of the original and translated texts. The artists plait an original poem with its translation so that the narrative can be understood by everyone and the melody of the original is maintained. It is a process best described as two languages speaking to each other. Bob Holman, producer of the PBS series "World of Poetry," recently saw Yara perform and was fascinated by what he insisted is a new genre of performance, created by Yara.

"In Verse" weaves together Ukrainian poetry from ancient folk incantations to the newest, most exciting writers working today. Yara actors Cecilia Arana, Tom Lee, Xenia Piaseckyj and Shona Tucker will perform the unsurpassed lyrical poetry of Pavlo Tychyna, delicate poetry-in-prose pieces by Vasyl Stefanyk, romantic and futuristic poetry from the 1920s and the 1960s, as well as works of writers of the 1990s.

"In Verse" is structured on the musical collaboration of Obie award-winning composer Genji Ito and Julian Kytasty, premier artist of both traditional and experimental bandura. Also included is music by composer Roman Hurko.

At 3 p.m. on Sunday, January 31, poets, among them Maria Rewakowicz and Kristina Lucenko. will read their own poetry.

Yara's artistic director, Virlana Tkacz, has said she believes "the magnificence of our literary and oral traditions is overlooked now in our communities because it is no longer truly accessible to the majority within these communities. We need to restore the power of the word, preserve the content of our poems, songs and incantations, if these are to have deep meaning for the generations of Ukrainian Americans born here".

Yara's performances are structured to give Ukrainian poetry a voice in a form that can be enjoyed by Ukrainian speakers, as well as people who speak little or no Ukrainian. We believe it is important that our community events become inclusive, welcoming non-Ukrainian family members, as well as our neighbors, to the bounty of our culture," she added.

Tickets for "Poetry: Installations and Performances" are available for each event or for the entire festival. For further information call (212) 475-6474 or e-mail [email protected].

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