On April 24, Bellevue, Washington, will host the closing of the Four Turns Around the Sun exhibition, which brought together Ukrainian artists living and working in Ukraine. The event will combine contemporary art and tasting of original desserts created by local bakers inspired by the works on display.
This was reported by Ukrainian Cultural Center Toloka and Toloka Gallery. Toloka Gallery.
“Four years of changes, transformations and challenges – and at the same time four years of searching for light in everyday life, joy in small things, love in every moment,” reads the Toloka Gallery message.
Guests will not only get acquainted with the works of Ukrainian artists, but also taste desserts with drinks from local bakers. Each of the desserts was created under the inspiration of individual paintings, their shapes, colors, textures and emotional sound.
In particular, one of the examples of such a combination of art and gastronomy will be the participation of La Cherie Bakery. The bakers were inspired by Danylo Shulipa's work "Resilience", which reflects on the state of a person who resists social pressure, historical events and the reality of war.
It is also noted that the curator of the project is Yevheniya Grigoryan. According to the organizers, the exhibition tells about resilience, change and the ability to find light even in times of anxiety, loss and uncertainty. The works remind us that even in the most difficult periods, a person is able to love, laugh, marvel at beauty and feel togetherness.
"These works remind us: even in the midst of anxiety and loss, you can love, laugh, marvel at beauty and feel togetherness," the message emphasizes.
According to the organizers, the exhibition brought together works by Ukrainian artists of different styles, generations, and regions of Ukraine who continue to create despite the war: Kharkiv, Kyiv, Donetsk, Lviv, and Sumy, in order to show visitors the lives of artists.
Among them are Yevheniia Hryhoryan, whose practice explores memory, corporeality, trauma, and the experience of forced emigration; Olha Kuzyura, who works with the themes of individual and collective memory, loss, and cultural continuity; Volodymyr Semkiv, who through sculpture interprets time, memory, and the value of human life.
The gallery also presents works by Igor Nekraha, dedicated to Ukrainian landscapes and the inner sense of space and peace; Danya Shulipa, who speaks about the pressure of war, fragile hope, and the inner integrity of man; Olena Konohorova with her work “Granary”, where the ear of corn becomes a symbol of the strength of a peaceful nation forced to take up arms; Andriy Roik, who, through a series of embossings, explores the fragility of the human body, memory and absence.
Vadym Lipskykh, who works at the intersection of figurative and abstract art, is also included in the list of authors. The exhibition presents his work “Emerald Green” from the series “Garden and Figurative”, where a naked male figure is combined with botanical elements and plant forms. Through a rich color palette, green shades and picturesque textures, the artist creates a symbolic space of interaction between man and nature, in which the boundaries between the body, color and environment gradually dissolve.
In addition, Ave Libertatemaveamor, the artistic pseudonym of a young Ukrainian graphic artist from Kyiv, who works in symbolism and surrealism, presented her works at the exhibition. In the graphic series “Herbarium”, the author interprets the garden as a space of personal formation, and the herbarium as a symbolic structure of protective mechanisms that form around the inner territory of a person. Plant forms in these works act as carriers of memory, experience and self-protection, transforming the botanical collection into a poetic map of the inner landscape.
“The exhibition brings together Ukrainian artists who live and work in Ukraine today, exploring resilience, change and the ability to find light in everyday life,” the organizers summarized.
The exhibition will close on April 24 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM at 1940 124th Ave NE, A108/109, Bellevue, WA.
Photo: L&Anna Photography
Author: Inna Mikhno