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Exhibiton Dedicated to the Independence Day of Ukraine

On August 18, 2021, Kropyvnytskyi Art Museum hosted the grand opening of the exhibition, what became another joint exhibition project of the Art Museum and the Kirovohrad Regional Organization of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine.

The path of Ukrainian people to the realization of the centuries-old dream of having their own state and being the master of their land turned out to be very long, difficult and bloody. Some historians generally believe that according to all calculations and laws of elementary logic, Ukrainians, as a nation, should have ceased to exist long ago. But they miraculously survived and, without abandoning their European aspirations, provoked the furious rage of our original enemies, who, had absorbed all the worst of the Soviet Union and the Golden Horde, stubbornly dragged humanity into the abyss of World War III.

The latest stage of state-building processes in Ukraine is associated with the shameful fiasco of the Soviet Empire, as a result of which all its former components were given the opportunity to embark on the path of building their own state. The first important step for Ukraine in this direction was the adoption by the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR on July 16, 1990 of the Declaration on the State Sovereignty of Ukraine. At the same time, a resolution was adopted to celebrate this day of the holiday, which was called the Day of Proclamation of Independence of Ukraine. On August 19, 1991, in Moscow, a conservative group of the CPSU attempted a coup d'etat, which was quickly suppressed. It is clear that this only accelerated the state-building processes in former Soviet republics and the final collapse of the USSR.

Thus, Kyiv's response was the adoption by deputies of the Ukrainian Parliament on August 24, 1991 of the Act of Independence of Ukraine, which stated the following: Verkhovna Rada of Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic solemnly proclaims the independence of Ukraine and the creation of an independent Ukrainian state - Ukraine. The territory of Ukraine is indivisible and inviolable. From now on, only the Constitution and laws of Ukraine are valid on the territory of Ukraine. This act shall enter into force upon its approval. " This fateful document for Ukraine was established by holding a republican referendum on December 1, 1991, as a result of which the independence of our state was supported by a staggering number of voters - 90.92%, and August 24 became the Independence Day of Ukraine.

But unfortunately, the freedom that is so easily achieved often becomes deceptive. Most Ukrainians perceived it as heavenly manna, not realizing that nothing is given for free. Self-satisfaction, short-sightedness, ignoring external and internal danger, "tolerant" attitude to the "fifth column", Soviet paraphernalia and symbols, infantilism in matters of Ukrainization, decommunization, accession to NATO and the European Union, misunderstanding of the importance of combat operational and powerful armed forces who are ready for any manifestations of external aggression, etc... It gave the enemy reasons to consider us easy prey, and later, after the failure of the blitzkrieg, to take revenge, relying on the same "fifth column", which no one even tried to destroy.

As horrible as it sounds, it is the recent Russian-Ukrainian war (2014-?) That gave impetus to the processes in Ukraine that have long taken place in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, the Baltic States and other adequate countries. Measures to decommunize society are gaining momentum, people are finding it very difficult, but still gradually moving away from Soviet hypnosis, increasingly focusing on common European values and returning to such a natural for us Slavs, Orthodox ideology and morality. And all this can be called, albeit belated, the revival of the nation, which creates the appropriate prospects for the future, because, as the well-known proverb says - "Better late than never."

It is a pity that we have to pay for all this with the blood of the best sons and daughters of our people, whose death at the hands of the aggressor finally buried the myth of the brotherhood of two such different peoples, in the veins of one of which flows the blood of famous Cossacks and Batu.

Therefore, in the light of recent events, a demand  from society for national history, mythology, authenticity, folk traditions, customs, etc., appeared, They are currently actively covered in modern Ukrainian cinema, literature, theater, etc., and of course - in the format of art. exhibitions such as the one opened in the Art Museum for the Independence Day of Ukraine, which by means of fine arts clearly illustrates what is invaluable for every true Ukrainian and what should be defended from the enemy under any circumstances.

The exhibition presents works by twenty members of the regional organization of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine. In the central part of the exposition the triptych of Anatoly Shapovalov "Cossacks` Golgotha" (1991) is presented, which is a vivid reflection of the tragic and heroic pages of Ukrainian history. A real ode to Ukrainian nature were the works of his brother Serhiy Shapovalov "Willows over the River" (2007), "Field Daisies" (2008) and "Field Flowers" (2010), chairman of the Kirovohrad regional organization of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine Andriy Khvorost from the series "Steppe Roads" "-" Golden Ear "," Sunflowers "," Meeting with the Forest "(2021), Alexander Demidenko "At Dawn. Voynivka ”(2012) and“ On Sinuha ”(2018). Unique Ukrainian authenticity and ethnoculture are presented by Ludmila Demidenko's paintings "Youth" (2018) and "Portrait of a Ukrainian" (2020), Olga Kolomiets's "Parade" (2012), Maria Achkasova's "My thoughts, thoughts ..." (2008). An illustration of the appeal to the national history of ancient and modern times were the works of Volodymyr Plitin "Krov - ne vodytsa," (1992), Felix Polonsky "Vasyl Stus" (2015), Andrei Nadezhdin "Angels bullets do not pass" (2015). The exhibition was also decorated with paintings by Lyubov Kiryanova "Flight with a Guardian Angel" (2004), Anatoly Kymnatnyi "Art Museum" (2020-2021) and other works that reveal the unique individuality of each master of the brush.

The highlight of the opening of the exhibition was a video presentation "Ukraine in space and time", created by the State Archives of Kirovohrad region on the basis of archival and other materials provided by regional library and museum institutions of culture. Tetyana Honcharova, an employee of the archive, presented a documentary-artistic-historical photo essay. The artistic direction, which is based on works from the stock collection of the Museum of Arts, is presented in the section "Palette of Ukrainian statehood".

 

Oleg Yurchenko - Head of the Tourism,Local lore and Information Work Department

Kropyvnytskyi Art Museum