27 June 2018
Mikhailo Deyak: Genesis/The Solomiya Krushelnytska Lviv State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet
27 June 2018

27/06/2018 – 27/07/2018

Opening: June 27, 4 PM, 28 Svobody Avenue, Lviv, Ukraine

The Solomiya Krushelnytska Lviv State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet is proud to present Genesis by Mikhailo Deyak.

The exhibition of abstract sculpture by the acclaimed Ukrainian artist will be held under the auspices of the Mozart Festival 2018, and will coincide with the opening night of the opera Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Genesis is a series of metal objects that Mikhailo Deyak has been working on over the course of the last couple of years. These objects constitute a singular document of the artist's inspirations and influences, focusing not so much on the plot but rather on conveying fleeting emotions. These sculptures are aggressive towards their environment, their inherent inner dynamic setting them on the collision course with their surroundings. This dynamic allows viewers to see and read the images from various perspectives, developing new interpretations for the forms. Rather than trying to force his opinions or visions on the audience with these works, Deyak expects the viewers to enter into a dialogue with the sculptures of the Genesis series, and with themselves.

The artist emphasizes that the choice to exhibit the Genesis series in the halls of the Lviv State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet is a provocative and self-sufficient artistic gesture in itself. The exposition hall resonates with abstract metal sculptures. The interiors of the fin de siècle neo-Renaissance/neo-baroque building designed by the architect Zygmunt Gorgolewski, with their lush frescos depicting scenes from high society life, elaborate sculptural compositions and large mirrors embedded in the walls, pose a stark contrast to abstract plastic and dynamic objects of the series. This contrast has the effect of seemingly bringing time to a standstill. The dissonance in the dynamics of the environment and the objects puts the viewers into a position where they can no longer afford the privilege of remaining unengaged onlookers. The viewers have to invest an effort in understanding what they see. By running the paralyzing resonance of the objects and their environment through the lens of their own thoughts and imagination, the viewers are given an opportunity to improvise: they can reimagine the images and join in the effort to remodel the space by being aware of themselves in it, and the space in them.

Some of the works of the Genesis series were previously presented under the aegis of the Basel Art Week (Switzerland). They were exhibited at the Voloshyn Gallery (Kyiv, Ukraine), Ukrainian Institute of America (New York, USA), and at the Iosyp Bokshai Transcarpathian Regional Museum of Fine Arts (Uzhhorod, Ukraine).

Mikhailo Deyak was born in 1984 in the village of Zolotarevo (Khust District, the Transcarpathian Region). He graduated from A. Erdeli Uzhhorod Art College and the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture (Kyiv). His works map the intersection between neo-expressionism and minimalism, and include experiments with various materials. Voloshyn Gallery has an exclusive contract with the artist, and over the course of this 3-year-long cooperation, Deyak's works have been exhibited at several international art fairs, including VOLTA NY, and the Scope Art Show in Basel (Switzerland), Miami and New York. The artist’s works often appear at auctions: over the last couple of years, five of his works sold at the Phillips Auction. Mikhailo Deyak is widely exhibited: for example, in March 2017 the Ukrainian Institute of America in New York hosted his solo show. He lives and works in Kyiv, Ukraine.

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