First Biennale of Modern Art Opens in Kyiv

KYIV, May 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

It is for the first time in its history that Ukraine hosts Biennale of Modern Art exhibition. The artists and guests of the exhibition agreed that works by 100 artists from 30 countries made up for a truly monumental affair. The 250 pieces, including a collection of ancient Ukrainian sculptures from 10 national museums, coupled with 40 new pieces created specifically for Arsenale 2012 by 25 Ukrainian and 13 Polish artists.

Video: http://wnu-ukraine.com/multimedia/videos/?id=69

The exhibition at Kyiv's major art center Mystetskyi Arsenal reflects the dream of utopian human rights, the dream of free expression, and the dream of equal opportunity, said David Elliot, the curator of the exhibition.

The Biennale of Modern Art broadcasts four ideas: The Restless Spirit, In the Name of Order, Flesh, and The Unquiet Dream.

The Restless Spirit looks at the way in which we derive strength from beliefs, myths and concepts of the universe that are not governed by material need, explained David Elliot. In the Name of Order examines how under the pretext of rationalism, power attempts to dominate culture through the creation of self-serving hierarchies. Flesh takes the human body, its appetites, desires and limitations as its central theme, said the curator, and The Unquiet Dream focuses on nightmares and premonitions of disaster, without which we are unable to change, explained Mr. Elliot.

"…it is important that also Ukraine now is on the map of international contemporary art," said Fabio Cavalucci, director of Contemporary Art at the Warsaw Center "Zamek Ujazdowski".

Some of the exhibits that really stood out were Waste Not by artist Song Dong of China - exploring the notion of poverty and powerlessness, and the one by Erbossyn Meldibekov, representing three political circumstances: Communism, Garamanlay, and Stalin.

The event organizers informed that 45 "parallel projects" are scheduled to move onto other venues in 36 locations in the Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv, Odessa, Kherson, and Dnepropetrovsk and will feature the works of 170 most influential Ukrainian artists of modern time.

The collection will be on display from May 24, 2012 to June 31, 2012. In his final speech at the opening press conference, curator David Elliot said, "Don't look at this exhibit for its answers, look at it and discover the questions they [collections] pose."