Voloshyn Gallery presents a personal exhibition of Yarema Malashchuk and Roman Khimei entitled "It already happened"!

The exhibition brings together three works of artists: "Dedicated to the Youth of the World II", "Dedicated to the Youth of the World III" and "Explosions Near the Museum".

The double screening of the films from the Dedicated to the Youth of the World 2019 and 2023 immerses the viewer in a peculiar chronological context. “Dedicated to the Youth of the World III” is a reenactment of the artists’ film with the same title produced in 2019, which documented the rave Сxema in Kyiv. While Kyiv’s youth appeared in that latter film to reclaim their post-revolutionary city in an intimate yet massive nighttime ritual – a kind of unrestricted freedom many looked forward to – the new version was created against a completely different backdrop. The artists decided to recreate the party in September 2023 under a constant threat, focusing on the community members who replaced the previous rave participants, after a prolonged pandemic and a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

If the work of 2019 was shot in the largest pavilion of the Dovzhenko Film Studio in Kyiv, which was transformed into a massive rave zone for the occasion. The camera closely followed the participants into the new day, a reality that many did not seem to accept. "Dedicated to the Youth of the World III, as opposed to that, aims to capture the new reality that has emerged since then, a "new day" that no one could have imagined four years ago.

The second part of the exhibition - the work "Explosions Near the Museum" (2023), documents the looting of the KhersonMuseum of Local Lore by the Russian occupiers in October 2022. With over 173,000 items ranging from Scythian gold to World War II weapons, the museum was strategically looted by Russian occupation forces two weeks before the liberation of Kherson by Ukrainians. The sounds of shelling and rocket attacks were recorded during filming at the museum on December 12, less than two kilometers from Russian-occupied territory. Empty display cases and pedestals reflect not only physical loss, but also cultural amnesia. The footage from the scene shows a temporary numbness before the emptiness of loss. However, to replace the numbness, a voiceover offers to read out a detailed description of the stolen artifacts according to the museum catalog. The voice emphasizes either the hope that the museum collection will soon be returned to its previous form or the denial of the reality in which the looting was committed. Was the word the first thing again? It seems that it already happened. Perhaps such numbness can only be overcome by affirmation, that is, by self-hypnosis and repetition?

About Yarema Malashchuk and Roman Khimei

Yarema Malashchuk and Roman Khimei live and work in Kyiv. They graduated as cinematographers from the Institute of Screen Arts in Kyiv, Ukraine. Since 2013, they have been working together at the intersection of visual art and film as artists and directors.

They were awarded the main award of the PinchukArtCentre Prize (2020), VISIO Young Talent Acquisition Prize (2021), as well as the Grand Prix at the Young Ukrainian Artists Award (MUHi 2019). Their debut documentary New Jerusalem premiered at Docudays UA IFF 2020 and received the Special Mention Award at Kharkiv MeetDocs. The duo also participated in the Future Generation Art Prize 2021, a group exhibitions at Haus der Kunst, Baltic Triennial 14, Gothenburg Biennial, M HKA, Albertinum, HMKW Dortmund, Museum Morsbroich. Their video works are in collections of Frac Bretagne, Fondazione In Between Art Film and Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp.

Yarema and Roman are members of the Prykarpattian Theater, an art group that recently established the project Theater of Hopes and Expectations which was presented at the Ukrainian Pavillion during Venice Biennale Architettura 2023.

Opening: December 15, 2023 from 18:00 to 20:00

Exhibition dates: 15.12.2023-30.12.2023

Address: Voloshyn Gallery, Tereshchenkivska Str. 13, Kyiv

The exhibition contains elements that may evoke intense emotions in visitors; therefore, it is recommended to exercise caution and consider individual reactions.

For media inquiries and additional information, please contact: info@voloshyngallery.art.