An exhibition of Kirovohrad artist Vadym Medianyk has opened at the National Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Life of Ukraine in Pyrohiv. A series of graphic works and paintings, entitled “My Olhivka,” recreates the wonderful world of the settlement, one among thousands of depopulated Ukrainian villages, and its last remaining residents. On his first visit to Olhivka, Novhorodka raion of Kirovohrad oblast, the artist felt moved by the villagers’ sweet temper. Despite the difficult living conditions, they still enjoy life, sing beautifully, and tell anecdotes...
“Ukraine will be around as long as its villages and hamlets survive,” Medianyk says. “When I painted the villagers, I saw conveying their love for the soil they farm as my most important task. It is in this context that these people’s spiritual strength is seen best...
Every artist confronts a lot of questions in their work, the answers to which they try to find on their own. Philosophy is the best guide for this effort. I am convinced that everybody has to do what one knows best and be true to oneself. For me, art is what makes life worth living, it is my incurable disease. I cannot live without painting. Emotions are the most important thing for an artist. It can be difficult to grasp them sometimes, as they appear for a moment, only to disappear straight away. The true professional painter is one able to convey one’s views to the audience via the canvas without losing any part of his message in the process.”
Medianyk’s exposition, housed in the Kirovohrad oblast house of the “Ukrainian Village of 1960s-1970s” exhibition, will run until the end of the year.
GRANDFATHER ARSENTII / Photo courtesy of the exhibition’s organizers
