2005: THE YEAR IN REVIEW: Orange revolution inspires creative arts (01/15/06)

2005: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

Orange revolution inspires creative arts

Orange was the color of the revolution that brought Viktor Yushchenko to power in Ukraine. The Orange Revolution also inspired musicians, artists, photographers, film-makers and others in the creative arts. As a result, the strong spirit of the people of Ukraine was conveyed - nationally and internationally - through various media. Artistic interpretations of the revolution made their mark on contemporary Ukrainian culture and continued to be felt in 2005.

Musically, the Orange Revolution produced success for an array of Ukrainian artists, largely by providing them with such a distinct opportunity to send their message to the masses. Perhaps the most well-known example of the revolution affording opportunity is that of the young rap group Gryndzholy (known in English as Greenjolly). Ivano-Frankivsk natives Roman Kostiuk and Roman Kalik, virtual unknowns before the revolution, saw their popularity skyrocket overnight as their song, "Together Were Are Many - We Cannot be Defeated," was instantaneously adopted as the unmistakable anthem of the Orange Revolution.

This sparked a trend of revolution-oriented music - one that flowed over into 2005 - and, in turn, prompted the increased activity of such record labels as Ukrainian Records and Lavina Music, both of which represent highly influential Ukrainian artists who played roles in the revolution.

Maria Burmaka, a native of Kharkiv and one of the leading Ukrainian musicians whose songs kept the spirit of the maidan alive during the Orange Revolution, was on a three-city inaugural North American tour that included presentations at Columbia University's Faculty House in New York on March 31, as well as performances in Philadelphia and Toronto. The tour was organized by the New York-based Brooklyn Ukrainian Group. Two of Ms. Burmaka's songs - "Ne Biysia Zhyty" (Don't Be Afraid to Live) and "My Idemo," played a crucial role in the mobilization of the maidan.

It was, perhaps, the mediums of film and photography that best captured the spirit of the Orange Revolution, by providing for the rest of the world vivid images that have been permanently etched into the annals of history - like those of the vast ocean of supporters gathered on Independence Square (known as the "maidan"), or the congregation of dedicated Ukrainian youth packed into in Kyiv's tent city.

Young documentary videographer Damian Kolodiy spent the duration of the revolution in Kyiv, where, from November 16, 2004, to January 25, 2005, he shot footage for a documentary. While spending time on the maidan, as well as traveling with the Friendship Train organized by young Orange Revolution activists, Mr. Kolodiy conducted interviews with local supporters, youth activists and average citizens, as well as recorded speeches made by both local and national politicians. Mr. Kolodiy is still at work (and in search of financial support), with the documentary in its production stages.

A fellow young Ukrainian American, Adriana Kovalsky, spent the first eight days of the Orange Revolution in Kyiv photographing a variety of images representative of the spirit of the revolution. Among her subjects were the occupants of tent city, a grandmother proudly adorned with an orange kerchief and a young child perched above the crowd atop his father's shoulders. Upon her arrival back in the U.S., Ms. Kovalsky submitted her photos to the Ukrainian National Museum in Chicago, where they were placed on exhibit between December 17, 2004, and January 30, 2005.

A similar photo exhibit, titled "Faces of the Orange Revolution," was on display at Columbia University from February 18 through mid-April, and featured photos taken by Kyiv photographer Kyrylo Kysliakov.

In the realm of fine art, the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art in Chicago opened an exhibit titled "Artists Respond: Ukrainian Art and the Orange Revolution." Opened on December 1, the exhibit is set to run through the end of February 2006. It features the works of 15 young artists who took part in the demonstrations on the maidan during the revolution. The Center for Contemporary Art in Kyiv became a birthplace for many of these artistic pieces, as it turned itself into a gallery and production space for young artists motivated by the events of the revolution.

Natalia Pohrebinsky, who lives and exhibits her work at The Stone House in Lexington, N.Y., made her painting "The Resurrection Song," a poetic evocation of the Orange Revolution, the focal point of an exhibit of her paintings and sculpture at the Roshkowsky Galleries in Windham, N.Y., on January 22-29.

Though the Orange Revolution is over, its spirit will live on in the hearts of many Ukrainians, and non-Ukrainians, around the globe, and be glorified through the arts for years to come.

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