If it was not written on billboards that it is an exhibit of students’ end-of-year and graduation projects, nobody would perhaps guess it. The works brought to the gallery of the Lviv National Academy of Arts from the Kosiv Institute of Applied and Decorative Arts are rather mature and interesting. They include traditional Hutsul woodcarvings, ceramics, weaves, textiles, leather items, jewels, metal, clothes, and even furniture and wooden toys. These artworks combine authentic ethnic motifs and present-day stylistic innovations.
“We have an opportunity to show our years-long cooperation with the Lviv National Academy of Arts. We can see again that the word combination ‘tradition and innovation’ sound topical and quite contemporary. Our alumni often take part in all kinds of plein-air shows, competitions, and reviews and always win high awards,” Halyna Voityshyn, Acting Director of the Kosiv Institute of Applied and Decorative Arts, said at the opening ceremony.
“Kosiv is a rare center that has preserved the living traditions. It is not an artificially created school in some place which you have to leave in search of materials for inspiration. We have some everywhere, says Viktoria Zharovonkova, Ph.D. in Art Research, a well-known pedagogue. “We teach students not to copy but to think over traditional art pieces and adapt them to contemporary art processes, to think in a modern way but also not to forget handmade techniques which remain a top priority for us.”
The exhibit, which will last until April 6, displays 43 end-of-year and final projects of the students of the Kosiv Institute of Applied and Decorative Arts.
