Center for Contemporary Art at UKMA exhibits "Two Sides" (12/10/00)

Center for Contemporary Art at UKMA exhibits "Two Sides"

by Yuliya Vaganova

KYIV - the Center for Contemporary Art at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy presented the exhibition "Two Sides" on November 3-December 3.

Curated by Natalia Filonenko of the Institute of Unstable Thoughts, the idea and selection criteria for the works exhibited in "Two Sides" emerged from the fact that all things in the world have at least two dimensions, and each object or phenomenon can be seen from at least two sides. The principle of things having "two sides" can call up a whole variety of associations. Moreover, this provides freedom of choice and the possibility to study the social and a esthetic relationships between works, analogues and contradictions.

Exhibition curator Natalia Filonenko said she hoped that "Two Sides" would promote an open discussion on various topics concerning the reality surrounding us and its multidimensionality. Seventeen artists were represented: Oleksander Vereschak and Margarita Zinets, Maksym Mamsikov, Illia Chichkan, Oleksander Hnylytsky and Ksenia Hnylytska, Dmytro Kavsan, Kyrylo Protsenko, Iryna Lastovkina and Illia Isupov (from Kyiv), Serhii Bratkov, Serhii Illin (Kharkiv), Serhii Anufriiev, Oleksander Petrelli, Dmytro Dulfan, Hlib Katchuk and Olga Kashymbekova (Odesa).

In the works presented in "Two Sides," the artists attempt to portray the reverse side of things - things in society, where all appears straightforward, transparent and free of mystery or illusion. The Ukrainian artists chose undefined and rather radical ways of portraying the visible and invisible. Their ideas, both progressive and provocative, reflected on the recent past and looked at new distances, new measures of sentimentalism and cynicism with regard to different things. "Two Sides" prompted viewers to think about the two-sidedness or even multi-sidedness of the world, which is usually seen as being straight and simple.

The exhibition created conceptual and formal relationships between the different artworks. Pairs of works by different artists, or a single artist, were juxtaposed; even a single work could entail contradictions within itself - especially if it was built on conflict, in accordance with the artistic strategy popular today.

The curator followed this idea also in selecting the genre of the works: the exhibition includes photographs, video, sculpture, paintings, as well as musical works and improvisations.

The project's implementation was supported by the International Renaissance Foundation, the Pro Helvetia Ukraine Foundation, and the Polish Institute in Kyiv, 3M.

CCA sponsors are the "1+1" TV channel, the magazines "Pik" and What's On, and Lux Radio FM, LuckyNet, FDR and Evroformat.

The Center for Contemporary Art was established by George Soros.

Yuliya Vaganova is program coordinator at the Center for Contemporary Art.

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