The exhibition titled “Ukrainian Artists in Ankara” opened on December 7, 2024 at the Kült Kavaklıdere Cultural Center in Ankara. The exhibition, consisting of oil painting landscapes, realistic and abstract flowers, contemporary works of art and decorative tapestries produced by Ukrainian painters living in Ankara, was brought to life in cooperation with the Embassy of Ukraine in Ankara, art coach Olha Dovhan-Levytska (Dovhan-Levytska) and Kültür Kavaklıdere.
The exhibition includes; The works of painters Anastasiya Ozdemir (Anastasiia Ozdemir), Anna Polat, Valeriya Gok, Elvina Kakura-Arslan, Katerina Lazurenko (Kateryna Lazurenko), Katerina Pozigun (Kateryna Pozigun), Lyudmila Bikliç (Lyudmyla Bikliç), Mariçka Bilai, Natalka Uvarova-Kovalska, Olha Dovhan-Levitska, Yuliya Kirilyuk (Julia Kyryliuk), Irina Ryjenko (Iryna Ryzhenko), Darina Kut (Daryna Kut), Ersin Kose, Lada Dovhan-Levitska (Lada Dovhan-Levytska) and Sofya Uvarova, which are made with various painting techniques, are included.
The opening speech of the exhibition was made by the painter and art coach Olha Dovhan-Levitska, who is also the curator of the exhibition. While introducing the works in the exhibition, Dovhan-Levitska began her speech by emphasizing the pride they feel in being Ukrainian and the honor they feel in promoting Ukrainian culture and identity. She said, “We, as people, share the same common moral values. Here, you can observe many symbols of peace and harmony. This actually reflects the true national character of Ukrainians.”
Oleksiy Chernyshev, the Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of Ukraine in Ankara, who attended the opening, began her speech by thanking all the artists who organized and participated in the exhibition. Chernyshev said the following in reference to the participants: “You are ambassadors of our culture. You are making efforts to create a positive image in the world and here in Turkey. We, as the Embassy, are ready to support any initiative to promote Ukraine together. We express our gratitude to everyone who is interested in Ukraine, Ukrainian culture and art.”
Olha Dovhan-Levitska, one of the organizers of the exhibition, spoke about her art and works for the Crimean News Agency (QHA). Stating that there are Ukrainian and Turkish symbols in her paintings, Dovhan-Levytska said that she was inspired by the Cucuteni-Tripoli culture that came to Ukraine from Anatolia. “We are going through a difficult time right now and we want to be together. That’s why I came up with the idea of organizing an exhibition. During this process, everyone was very happy and made new friends. That’s why I was very pleased and met new people. That’s why this exhibition will be a very successful exhibition for me.” Dovhan-Levytska explained the deer motif in her paintings with the following words:
We also draw deers on Easter eggs (Pysanka). Because deer is a very special animal for us. There is something like this in our narratives; deer lives in both worlds because its antlers are like the roots of the world. That’s why deer is a very mystical animal and we also believe that it carries news. For example, we are currently experiencing a war in Ukraine. Many of my friends lost their lives in the war. This pain affects me and I also want to protect them with the deer, which is a male symbol. My paintings act as protectors for them.
In addition, Dovhan-Levytska, who stated that she was also influenced by Anatolian culture, said, “Turkish motifs are similar to our motifs. At the same time, our traditional clothes are similar to each other. For example, deer… I see the deer motif a lot in Turkey. So yes, I was very inspired by Turkey.”
Ukrainian painter Yuliya Kırıliuk, who has been living in Ankara for seventeen years, stated that she was very happy to participate in this exhibition with her own citizens and said, “I love colors incredibly. At the same time, I do not always work with the same technique. My favorite technique is watercolor. I participated in this exhibition with oil and alkali paint. I visualized a year in my mind while painting my painting and finished the painting I started last winter this winter. In this painting, I painted flowers that bloomed in the winter.”
Painter Anna Polat began her speech by stating that this exhibition is very important for Ukrainian artists. Polat, who stated that she included traditional Ukrainian carpet motifs and special circular motifs for Christmas Day in her paintings, said, “My source of inspiration is nature. I love nature. Especially when walking, we can see the moon, a natural sunset or a very sunny day. This will take its place in our lives as a moment. I capture this moment and want to show it to everyone.”
Painter Irina Rızhenko, who stated that she likes to include characters in her paintings as if they came out of a cartoon, said that she gets her inspiration from the little child living inside her.
Painter Valeriya Gök said, “I am very happy to be in this exhibition and to be a part of it. I am mostly inspired by everyday things; by those around me. That is why I like to collect the emotions that nature gives me: even small things like a flower or the sky after the rain. In other words, noticing beautiful little things; fixing them on my paper and covering them with varnish and then remembering them forever. In this way, as long as my painting exists, this moment will last forever.”
The Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of Ukraine in Ankara, Chernyshev, who visited the exhibition and met with the artists, stated to QHA that although the exhibition was not the first event to introduce Ukrainian art, it was the first large-scale exhibition specific to Ukrainian artists.
Chernyshev, who emphasized that they were very honored to represent Ukraine, Ukrainian culture and art, spoke as follows:
As the Embassy of Ukraine, one of our biggest priorities is of course to introduce our own country to the Turkish people. We also hope that we can touch hearts through such art events. However, I can say that this is not the end, but the beginning.
The exhibition titled “Ukrainian Artists in Ankara”, which attracted great interest at its opening, will be open to visitors until December 19, 2024.
Source: https://www.qha.com.tr/kultur-sanat/ukraynali-ressamlarin-buyuleyici-sergisi-ankara-da-acildi-499185