The event has been organized by the National Museum of Ukrainian Folk Decorative Art and Oleksandr Borodai’s Creative Studio.
From time immemorial Kyiv has been the center of enamel art, today it welcomes 57 artists, art historians, and teachers from Georgia, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, and Spain. The exhibition features 150 art works of contemporary enamel.
“The value of the enamel art is that in it an artist as if cooperates with the physical forces of nature – fire, light, and water. You never know what outcome you’ll have after firing the enamel, thus, working with it is so exciting that it becomes your calling for life,” these lines are printed in the catalogue of art works by Yulia Borodai – author of the idea of the International Festival in Kyiv, curator of the First International Festival of Enamel in Ukraine, enamel artist, and Ph.D. in Art History.
This time the exposition opened with the works of this talented young person, unfortunately, deceased. Charmed Flowers and Blue Birds give visitors a chance to get the insight into her creativity, her way of thinking, and worldview. The exhibition also features works of the like-minded artists, members of the association “Oleksandr Borodai Creative Studio.” In a joint work Come on People, Come to Your Senses! (2009) the Honored Artist of Ukraine Oleksandr Borodai and his students – Tetiana Iliina, Anastasia Riabchuk, Ustym Fedko (Kyiv) through cartoons express their views on our history, show their vision of events they’ve witnessed.
Art works of Kolechko couple – Legends (Serhii), Ceremonial Magic, and Mysterious Blue (Tetiana) attract attention of the visitors of the exhibition. You can also see the cloisonnes by Ivan Yurkov (Khmelnytsky) that bring us back to the world of antiquity and Ukrainian rituals and beliefs.
THE FESTIVAL GATHERED WORKS BY MANY UKRAINIAN AND FOREIGN MASTERS OF ENAMEL. PICTURED: A WALK BY K. KLOCHKOVA (YEKATERINBURG, RUSSIA) / Photo replica by Mykola TYMCHENKO, The Day
The works of Russian artists who came from Moscow, Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Kaluga, Yekaterinburg, and Cheboksary give the audience a chance to see the trends in the development of modern enamel art. The feeling of inherent connection with the traditional culture of the people is typical of the creative work of Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Praski Vitti (Cheboksary), whose works are stored in private collections in the museums of Russia, Hungary, Spain, Germany, the USA, Belgium, Bulgaria, Poland, and other countries.
Along with the works of the well-known artists the exhibition also features the works of young artists like Maria Tomasyk, Maria Lutsyk (Kyiv), and Maria Berezin (Moscow).
Thanks to the efforts of Russian enamel artist and teacher Boris Klochkov from Yekaterinburg, who presented his works and the works of his students, Kyiv audience will get a chance to see and feel the characteristic features of the Ural school of modern enamel art.
An integral part of the exhibition is jewelry, decorated with hot enamel – jewelry sets and rings by Vitalii Khomenko (Kyiv), a set of jewelry made by Serhii Alenhoz (Donetsk). Sacred art represented in cloisonne works by Georgy Arkania (Tbilisi), enamel by Kateryna Herman and Yaroslava Palamarchuk (Kyiv), as well as traditional icon casing made in the studio of Mykhailo (1930-93), Dmytro, and Martin Koval.
Jewelry made by Nuria Lopez-Ribalty (Barcelona), Professor and Dean of the Enamel Department at the Llotja Advanced School of Art and Design, are a combination of the impossible and real – hot enamel and an ordinary CD.
After visiting the museum a person can get the idea of the wide range of enamel use, its plastic features in the works of contemporary artists: from traditional jewelry to the monumental works of art, from rings to furnishing of architectural objects.
Conference on the topic “Modern Enamel” was held as a part of the festival at the National Museum of Ukrainian Folk Decorative Art. Members and guests of the conference heard the reports of the art historians, including such well-known ones as Zoe Chegusova and young graduate researchers Lilia Pasichnyk and Serhii Luts, who explore the art of enamel, its peculiarities, and modern trends of development.
Each of the participants had the opportunity to express their thoughts and wishes, as well as engage in a discussion. The participants of the festival decided that the organization of such art events is topical and important. In addition to presenting works by contemporary artists, thereby, outlining the main areas of the development of enamel art today, the forum becomes a meeting point for many artists, giving them a chance to talk and share their experience. Therefore, it was decided to hold the festival once in every two or three years.
The International Exhibition of Enamel Art will be open through August 31 at the National Museum of Ukrainian Folk Decorative Art.
