International conference “Kazymyr Malevych: Kyiv aspect” begins in Kyiv

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The conference will focus on the least known period of famous artist Malevich, the Kyiv aspect.

October 6, 2016. Tonight, the conference “Kazymyr Malevych: Kyiv aspect” opens in Kyiv. It is devoted to the least-known – Kyiv period in the artist’s work. “Such conferences are regularly held around the world, from New York to Buenos Aires, but it is the first time when Kyiv hosts this event,” noted Tetyana Filevska, researcher of Malevych heritage, organizer of the conference, at a press briefing held at Ukraine Crisis Media Center. Twenty-five researchers of the heritage of the outstanding avant-garde painter, including Jean-Claude Marcadé, prominent researcher of Ukrainian avant-garde, arrived in Kyiv to participate in the event. The conference opens today at 6pm and will last three days.

The conference program  includes both academic and public parts, the latter is aimed at a wider audience. “We have prepared a show together with the Dovzhenko Center. We will have a musical part prepared by the Kyiv ensemble and also an extremely interesting part – the exhibition of archival materials. The archives from the National Art Museum of Ukraine related to Malevych, from the Kropyvnytskys’ family archives are demonstrated for the first time. We have prepared a little media support for it,” detailed Tetyana Filevska.

The Kyiv period documents will help further explore Malevych heritage

The main topics for discussion will include special aspects of Kazymyr Malevych’s style when he lived and taught in Kyiv. The reason for this was the discovery of previously unknown documents from this period. They were first published last year in Tetyana Filevska’s book “Kazymyr Malevych. Kyiv period, 1928-1930”.  “These articles and documents show Malevych’s reukrainization when he worked in Kyiv in the late 20’s. For science, it is a very important point – these documents can lead to new research,” said Jean-Claude Marcadé, art expert, art historian, curator, honored director of the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS, France).

Kazymyr Malevich as the Ukrainian artist establishes Ukraine’s involvement in the global processes

The fact that the works of Malevich and his personality identified as the Ukrainian avant-gardist are discussed in Kyiv has great symbolic significance from the political, cultural and philosophical perspectives. According to Dmytro Gorbachov, professor, researcher on Ukrainian avant-garde art, honorary head of the organizers’ committee of the conference, identification of Malevich as the Ukrainian avant-garde artist affirms inclusion of Ukraine in the world cultural processes. “It is important for Ukrainians in terms of self-identification and in terms of our tomorrow’s vision of us,” added Olesya Drashkaba, creative director of Ukraine Crisis Media Center. Besides, as noted Jean-Claude Marcadé, the research of Kyiv period will help confirm the existence of separate Russian and Ukrainian avant-garde schools, which is rejected by some researchers.

Malevich is topical for Ukraine as a symbol of revolutionary changes

In philosophical terms, Malevich is more than ever topical for Ukraine as a symbol of revolutionary changes. “His logic of transcending any limits, denial of form (we mean re-forms) and coming to the point – that is what we are practising in various ways when training people to take administrative decisions – at the level of state, social projects, to say nothing of business. Today, we cannot improve yesterday’s system. We should proceed from the qualitatively different rules of the game,” noted Oleksandr Savruk, dean of Kyiv-Mohyla Business School.

Conference as a grassroots initiative organizes the international level event

Tetyana Filevska noted that the conference has become a positive precedent of how a variety of NGOs, public institutions and business can join the grassroots initiative, resulting in the international level event.

Based on the conference materials, the second part of the book “Kazymyr Malevich: Kyiv aspect” will be composed

One of the expected outcomes of the conference is preparing the second part of the book “Kazymyr Malevich: Kyiv aspect.” “The book will be composed of the articles presented by the researchers at the conference, or the stuff they will kindly agree to give us,” noted Tetyana Filevska.

Ukraine needs Kazymyr Malevich Institute

Ewa Figel, director of the Polish Institute in Kyiv, Minister Counsellor of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Ukraine, expressed hope that the actualization of Malevich theme and the conference will contribute to establishing Institute of Kazymyr Malevich in Ukraine. “This institute would help young Ukrainian artists in their work, and would open Ukrainian artists to the world,” she said.