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“With Ukraine in the Heart”

The opening of this great holiday, that is the exhibition of the national and patriotic theme, has already become the traditional and usualphenomenon. But this year this event has got a special meaning, because it is being hold under the conditions of the foreign military entry and regional war, which can grow into the full-scale war at any time. This war became a real shock and surprise for the most of the country’s population, though for people, who know the laws of the history, this war is a natural phenomenon. A few yearsin a row a lot of historians and political experts appealed na?ve Ukrainians not to drop guard, do their best make the fortifications on the borders with “friendly Russia” in order to be able to stop the aggressor, not to "despoil” the army, by remembering the wise truth that “Those who don’t want to feed their own army willfeed the enemy’s one.” There were warnings that after Chechnya and Georgia, the next object for aggression would be Ukraine. But everything was in vain. All the arguments were crashed by the consequences of Soviet propaganda and mentality, which tell that Russia was a kind of “an older brother orsister”, “the Protector” and even “The Guarantor of the independence and state security of Ukraine”. As they speak – no comments. And only grief, which came to our houses, blew away soviet propaganda from Ukrainian heads, still not from all ones.
At present the independence of our country stopped being some abstract idea, it got a real and particular content. The best sons of our nation die for it in the battles against Donetsk and Lugansk bandits and their “master” – Moscow junta, which is on the way towards the renewing of Neofascism. It is the country which is the source of aggression that tramples all the moral and law norms, shocks all the civilized world by its wild behaviorand provoking a new world war.  Even the Minister of Propagandaof the Third Reich would be quite surprised, by knowing that the spreading of Neofascism could be held under the aegis of “fighting against Fascism” and calling “fascists” orthodox Slavonians. How couldn’t we mention truly prophetic words of well-known Winston Churchill: “The Fascists of the future will be the anti-fascists”.
The modern name of eastern aggressor is surprisingly unpleasant as well.From a historical point of view it is absolutely absurd and meaningless because this country has nothing common (except territory) with the real orthodox Russia, which disappeared in 1917, and the modern population of which has been called “the Hordes” and “the Aliens”.
But still every cloud has a silver lining. It is a Revolution of Dignity and external aggression brought our consciousness to a new level by witnessing a huge spiritual, cultural and intellectual gap which lay between the ancestors of Mongol invaders and Cossacks. What about the 2-3 months of reanimation of Ukrainian army as a guarantor of our independence? What about the new historical chance of developing Ukraine as a European country? We are very sorry for our lost time and unrealized possibilities. Better late than never.
We are optimistic because our country is supported by almost all the countries in the world, realizing the level of danger from the aggressor. Even within that country there are still some journalists, writers, actors, public figures who don’t lose their abilities to think adequately, which is now in Russian considered to be both a feat and a crime. They are LiyaAkhedzhakova, Oleg Basilashvili, AndreyMakarevich etc. They are ashamed of the bad policy of their government which leads to the international isolation. They completely support Ukraine, unfortunately being in the minority among the Russian “zombie-nation”.But the fact that there are still such people and their active public and political position give us reasons to think that Mr. Putin and his close politicians and friends are not the whole Russia. There is another Russia which supports us today and takes our lessons.
A part of the exhibition “With Ukraine in the Heart” had pictures which are presented by different regions of our country, which caused us to feel proudness or our country and to realize that we have only one Ukraine, it is indivisible - from the beautiful Carpathian Mountains to the steppes of Slobozhanshchina, from the huge Kyiv to the Black Sea Coast which was mentioned even in ancient Greek epos. Among these works are the works of MykolaGluschenko – “The Morning Dnieper” (1961), StepanPismenny – “The Dnieper River near Kaniv” (2007),YuriyVintenko – “The Land of My Father” Boris Egorov – “The Path to Goverla” (1970) and “Around Sedniv” (1975), Petro Sabadysh – “In the Mountains of Transcarpathia” (1961), AndriyKhvorost – “Mountain Valley” (1994), VolodymyrFedorov– “Gursuf” (1980) etc.
Some work are devoted to recent events of the late 2013 and early 2014 which hit our country and made us completely another. It is The Revolution of Dignity, defensive actions on Maidan  and tragic and at the same time heroic fate of the “Heaven's Hundred” which made unknown people well-known heroes. Among them there works of AndriyNadezhdin “The Reality of Modernity” (2014), “The Latest News” (2014), “Girl and birds” etc. There are also some works of DmytroSkoreyko such as “Heroes don’t die” (2014), a work of PavloPuzyr “Metaphysic Kirov square” (2013). The works of MykhayloNadezhdin such as “Terrorist Pu” (1969) and “Portrait in memory” (2013) are also very actual. And the picture “Orange blizzard” by Felix Polonsky reflects the events of almost decade ago which became the basis for the Revolution of Dignity. One more work “VolodymyrVynnychenko” (2009) presents the portrait of our famous of our countryman, politician, writer, playwriter and of the founders of Ukrainian national idea.
A part of the exhibition was paintingswhich were filled not only with patriotism but also have a deep symbolic meaning. They are the triptych of AnatoliyShapovalov “Ukrainian Calvary” (1991), the work of SergiyShapovalov “It’s time to collect stones” (1992) and “Poppies on the towel” (2014), “Keeper” by YuriyVintenko“Blood is thicker than water, give me some water to drink”, “Dreams”, “Makoveya” by VolodymyrPlitin, “Collective consciousness” by PavloPuzyr.
You can also look through an interesting illustrated photo materialon at the exhibition which presents the recent events which bring the consciousness of the nation to the new level and a big participation of population including the workers of Kirovograd Regional Art Museum in the action “Ukraine is unified” the aim of which is to demonstrate some active public positions and the unifying of all patriots of Ukraine.

Oleh Yurchenko - Senior Research Fellow
of Kirovograd Regional Art