«Identity. Behind the Curtain of Uncertainty» – an international contemporary art exhibition to launch at the National Art Museum of Ukraine

 

«Identity. Behind the Curtain of Uncertainty» – the Nordic, Baltic and Ukrainian contemporary art exhibition at the National Art Museum of Ukraine will open to the public on the 18th of March. It is promising to be one of the most spectacular manifestations of the last decade by the artists from the NorthEastern regions of Europe. The exhibition has been organised by the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art (Riga) in partnership with the National Art Museum of Ukraine, as well as the real architects behind this idea – the embassies of the Nordic and Baltic States in Ukraine.

Solvita Krese, Director of the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art, and the curator of this exhibition reflected on her work: «With this exhibition we wish to re-evaluate the notion of identity, emphasizing its diverse aspects and to welcome the exploration of national, political, territorial, social and gender issues through the prism of identity, having previously assumed that artists are sharp-sighted interpreters of context and commentators of situation, able to discover and sketch out the network of changes in today’s maps of the world faster than anyone else, and are not afraid to take a look behind the curtain of uncertainty, in which traumas of the past and vagueness of the future are woven together».

The idea of organising a contemporary art exhibition supported by eight embassies first emerged in 2013 as a solidarity gesture towards the complex political situation in Ukraine. The embassies of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Iceland have acknowledged this collaboration as a vital platform that allows the searching for a cohesive identity of Europe and establishing a mutual dialogue. National Art Museum proved to be the most appropriate place for this conversation, as far as it keeps, works with and creates identities – joint with community and by force of art.

Exhibiting artists: Roman Minin (UA), Open Group (UA), Lesja Zajac (UA), Matts Leiderstam (SWE), Meriç Algün Ringborg (SWE), Mats Adelman (SWE), Joar Nango (NO), The Stitch Project (NO), Ane Hjort Guttu (NO), Ester Fleckner (DK), Gudrun Hasle (DK), Kalle Hamm un Dzamil Kamanger (FIN), Tellervo Kalleinen (FIN), Bita Razavi (FIN), Anna Aizsilniece (LV), Ieva Epnere (LV), Katrīna Neiburga (LV), Tanel Rander (EST), Kristina Norman (EST), Flo Kasearu (EST), Arnas Anskaitis (LT), Eglė Budvytytė(LT), Kristina Inčiūraitė (LT) and Gabríela Friðriksdóttir (IS).

The exhibition will be accompanied by educational programme and different side events as discussions, workshops and performances.

 

It will be open to public from 19 March until 22 May.

 

Opening:  March 18, 18:00, National Art Museum of Ukraine

 

March 19 (Saturday), 14:00 – Guided tour in the exhibition with artists and curator (in English)

 

March 20 (Sunday), 13:00Seeking and hiding. Looking for common and distinctive traces in Nordic, Baltic, Ukrainian identities. Discussion with the artists, taking place at the Ukrainian Crisis Media Centre (Ukrainian House, 2 Khreshchatyk Street)

In collaboration with: Embassies of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden in Ukraine

 

Communication Partner: Ukrainian Crisis Media Centre

 

More information:

 

Pressconference: March 18, 13:00, National Art Museum of Ukraine (accreditation: 278 7454 or [email protected])

 

Alise Ziemule, Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art

[email protected], +371 28698778

www.lcca.lv

 

Olena Goncharouk, National Art Museum of Ukraine (Kyiv, 6, Hrushevskogo St.)

[email protected], +38 067 7789219

www.namu.kiev.ua