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Bella Logachova, DNR (Donetskaya Narodnaya Respublica) from the `ARtNUO (New Ukrainian Ornament) Series,` 2022, archival print. (Courtesy of the artist and Sabine Kutt Photography/provided by the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University)
Bella Logachova, DNR (Donetskaya Narodnaya Respublica) from the "ARtNUO (New Ukrainian Ornament) Series," 2022, archival print. (Courtesy of the artist and Sabine Kutt Photography/provided by the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University)

Castellani Art Museum features contemporary Ukrainian artist in summer exhibition 'Living Through War: Works from Kharkiv by Bella Logachova'

Submitted

Mon, May 23rd 2022 12:35 pm

On view July 28 through June 11, 2023

√ Opening reception Thursday, July 28

Submitted by the Castellani Art Museum

War is destructive to people and their cultural heritage. “Living Through War: Works from Kharkiv by Bella Logachova” is a reaction against the war in Ukraine as it is actively taking place. Each work gives unique insight into the perspective of an artist living through the violence and destruction of her homeland. With this exhibition, the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University (CAM) strives to bring empathy and awareness to the war in Ukraine while supporting an artist and her country embroiled in conflict.

“Living Through War: Works from Kharkiv by Bella Logachova” offers the incredibly rare opportunity to see through the eyes of a person in an active combat zone. The CAM will exhibit nineteen of Logachova’s artworks from the ARtNUO (New Ukrainian Ornament) Series, produced from 2014 through 2022, along with video of the artist. The exhibition will be on view starting Thursday, July 28, with an opening reception from 4:30-7:30 p.m. Additional programs will be hosted during the run of the exhibition.

Combining imagery that is traditional to Ukrainian folk art along with military icons and symbols, Logachova creates complex and narrative digital images. Through her intricate works, she describes various international events including the current conflict in Ukraine starting with the 2014 Euromaidan Revolution: “Each work is a documentary story told by means of ornament. War time is difficult … but we need to do something, to create new things – it’s our responsibility.”

Logachova is a Ukrainian artist and photographer, born in Mariupol in 1973. She graduated from the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Art, where she currently teaches media arts and is a co-founder of SOSka art group, including the Excess film group, in Kharkiv. She has exhibited her work throughout Europe and Ukraine.

Logachova received wide recognition after the presentation of posters titled “ARtNUO – New Ukrainian Ornament” at the 4th Block’s IX International Eco-Poster Triennale, for which she received the Grand Prix award of the festival. The 4th Block is an association of contemporary graphic designers.

“In 2014, when the war in Ukraine started, I began the ARtNUO series. … As the war only escalates, this series is still ongoing,” she said.

Bella Logachova in Kharkiv with “Boing 777,” from the “ARtNUO (New Ukrainian Ornament) Series,” 2022, archival print. (Courtesy of the artist and Sabine Kutt Photography/provided by the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University)

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This exhibition will be co-curated with Sabine Kutt of Sabine Kutt Photography. Kutt is a photographer, art curator, choreographer and ballet master. Born and raised in East Germany, she has resided in the United States since 2001. Kutt curates international exhibitions and special events representing women artists, including Logachova.

“The natural, joyful elements of the embroidery stand in sharp contrast to the military symbols Bella Logachova inserts into her images,” Kutt said. “Her art is like news. She is one of the few artists who are able to immediately implement what she has experienced in a creative way.”

An important partner is the Dnipro Ukrainian Cultural Center in Buffalo, which is providing project support and lending traditional Ukrainian needlework for visual reference in the exhibition. The gallery will also feature a QR code that allows visitors to donate directly to Dnipro’s Ukrainian Humanitarian and Medical Aid charity fund. Smaller prints of the works will be editioned and sold to support the artist and Ukrainian organizations she selects for donations.

During a time of many global conflicts, the CAM supports creativity across borders and recognizes the deep contributions of immigrant, refugee, and BIPOC communities to the cultural fabric of the Buffalo-Niagara Region. We are building accessible program opportunities for Niagara University students, local school districts, and the general public using these powerful works.

“Art distracts and gives strength. Art will always be against war,” Logachova said.

Visit www.castellaniartmuseum.org.

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