In kyiv, an art gallery air-raid shelter

This is a cruel irony of history. In 2016, Julia and Max Voloshyn opened an art gallery in Kyiv, settling in a former Soviet-era bomb shelter used during World War II to protect against German attacks. In the underground space, they laid blond parquet, painted the walls white and organized exhibitions of the Ukrainian art scene which had been enjoying a resurgence since the mid-2010s. Since then, their gallery has seen fewer ups than downs. “The revolution, the Donbass war, the Covid… details Julia Voloshyn. You can’t imagine what it’s like to be a gallery owner in Ukraine! » But, from the first day of the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops, on February 24, their space once again became a refuge.

On a business trip to Miami, the couple remotely enjoins the artists they promote to take refuge with their families in the place where they exhibited their works so recently. Among them, Nikita Kadan, 40 years. This visual artist, whose work combines drawing, photography and installation, first wanted to stay at home, on the sixth floor of a building in the Lvivska district of kyiv. But, at the first explosions, he withdrew to the Voloshyns, where he now lives cloistered.

Read also Article reserved for our subscribers The diary of two sisters separated by war in Ukraine: “We are stronger than we could imagine”

His partner and their daughter have been in Maastricht, the Netherlands, for three months. He himself was to fly to Vienna on February 26, for a two-month residency in Krems, Austria, on the occasion of a project around the stay of the Russian futurist poet Velimir Khlebnikov in Kharkiv, in the east. of Russia. “My flight was canceled but I have no regrets,” he said on the phone, with surprising calm. Since February 24, many have left kyiv. There are only four left at the Voloshyn Gallery.

“A matter of mental health”

The Parisian gallery owner of Nikita Kadan, Jérôme Poggi, beat the reminder of his collectors, to be able to send him money. He has notably organized exceptional sales of his works. Once a day, Nikita Kadan ventures into the streets of kyiv for a few hours, to buy food and shower at home. Every day he chronicles the war, posting selfies on Instagram, as well as photos of strollers abandoned in a courtyard or deserted buildings.

“We all wondered if it was relevant to continue making art in times of war. » Lesia Khomenko, painter

In the gallery space, Nikita Kadan organized a small exhibition. History of saving what remains of culture on the scale of a few square meters, even in the absence of any visitor. In the evening, he keeps his diary, started on the third day of the war, and draws dark silhouettes that merge with the earth. “It gives me the illusion of a normal life, of living, and not just surviving. It’s a matter of mental health.” he explains.

You have 36.7% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.

source site-26