The museum will show Max Vityk’s exhibition, which was forced to close last year due to rocket fire in the center of Kyiv. The artist’s works will be complemented by Serhii Gaidai’s photographs.
In October 2022, the series “Warriors of Light” by the American-Ukrainian artist Max Vityk was presented to the people of Kyiv. It was created on the basis of the emotional imprint that the Maidan of 2014 left in the mind of the author. He was impressed by the explosive energy that prevailed among the participants of the Revolution of Dignity and their personalities.
This energy is conveyed by his bright and dynamic canvases. His background in geology is also organically woven into the artist’s creative method, which helped him create a unique new writing technique: his canvases seem to be covered with geological formations and stone textures.
Previously, these works were exhibited in museums and galleries in Basel, The Hague, Cairo, New York, Texas and Miami. In Kyiv, the artist demonstrated them for the first time to support the country during the war. The “Warriors of Light” series consists of 12 large canvases (2 by 3 meters). The visitors were also presented works from other cycles of the author.
“After the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine, these works acquired new meanings and even greater relevance for me. I understood that I had to show them here, at home – in Ukraine,” noted Max Vityk.
Max Vityk’s art project “Warriors of the World” was one of the first to be presented on the second floor of the National Museum “Kyiv Art Gallery” after the start of the full-scale invasion. World-class masterpieces were exhibited in these premises before the war.
Russian aggression stood in the way of the exhibition. A few days after the opening, on October 10, the “Russian peace” launched a massive rocket attack on cultural institutions in the center of Kyiv. Then the National Museum “Kyiv Art Gallery”, the Taras Shevchenko National Museum, the Bohdan and Varvara Khanenki National Art Museum, the red and yellow buildings and the M. Maksimovich National Library of the Shevchenko University, the legendary Teacher’s House, which houses the Museum of the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917, were destroyed. – 1921 years. The exhibition activities of all museums were suspended.
Kyiv residents and guests of the capital will have one more opportunity to meet the “Warriors of Light” – in April 2023.
The exhibition is complemented by a photo of Serhiy Gaidai, who documented the events of the Revolution of Dignity by creating photo portraits of its participants. The combination of photos and abstract painting by Max Vityk creates an interesting contrast between a documentary, realistic image and the vision of an abstract artist. Together, they reflect the invincible spirit of the Ukrainian nation.
On April 8, at 2:00 p.m., Max Vityk will conduct an author’s tour of the exposition.Visitors have the opportunity to talk with the author, learn about his creative process and sources of inspiration.
Max Vityk. Warriors of Light
When: until April 30, working hours: from 11:00 to 17:00 on weekdays (except Monday and Thursday) and from 11:00 to 18:00 on Saturday and Sunday
Where: National Museum “Kyiv Art Gallery”, str. Tereshchenkovska, 9
Ticket price: UAH 200, discount ticket — UAH 100.
