Exhibition "Peeping through the windows"
On December 3, 2020, on Hryhoriy Skovoroda's birthday, the facade of the 120-year-old "Building with Dragons"—an abandoned structure on Taras Shevchenko Boulevard, 19 in Kyiv—was transformed into a gallery.
The installation "The Sleeping House" was created within the framework of the "Peeping through the windows" project. The exhibition was implemented by the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers in collaboration with the NGO Renovation Map. We express our gratitude for the support of Yuliia Klymenko and the Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of the Kyiv City State Administration.
According to the authors' concept, for the exhibition, the facade of the building was transformed into a gallery of unique archival portraits of Ukrainians in traditional attire, authored by the renowned Ukrainian photographer Ivan Karpov (provided by the Shostka Local History Museum). Eyes closed with computer graphics in the photos symbolize Hryhoriy Skovoroda's philosophy and the interpretation of the modern world, where people increasingly distance themselves from reality and delve into a world created by media and advertising. The centerpiece of the exhibition is a large portrait of Hryhoriy Skovoroda (provided by the National Literary-Memorial Museum of H. S. Skovoroda).
"The whole world is asleep" - Skovoroda often repeated. In this, his philosophy resonates with Buddhism, where reality is likened to a dream. Researchers of Hryhoriy Savych's life and work confirm that in late autumn of 1758, he had a dream: an invisible force showed Skovoroda horrid images of human "diversity", reminiscent of Bosch's phantasmagoria—depictions of the lives of magnates and commoners, merchants, and priests. This dream, perceived by Hryhoriy as divine revelation, prompted the philosopher to withdraw from the world and immerse himself inward.
"Peeping through the windows" is a project that not only offers a glimpse into the faces of a bygone era but also reminds us of photographers from the beginning of the last century, names known only to connoisseurs of archival photography.
Daria Korba, head of the NGO "Renovation Map", architect: Our goal is to draw the attention of society and authorities to the problem of the decline of valuable buildings and to popularize the works of Ukrainian photographers and the history of Ukrainian photography. Using the empty windows of an abandoned building as frames for photos—synthesizes the art of photography and architecture. They enrich each other with new meanings and seem to speak to the observer: "conscious effort to preserve history is necessary in all spheres of our nation's cultural heritage."
The building for the project was also not chosen by accident. The history of the "Building with Dragons" begins in the late 19th century. Its first owner was educator Ivan Khylchevsky, known as a countryman and close friend of Panteleimon Kulish—the father of the Ukrainian historical novel and a researcher of Hryhoriy Skovoroda's work. In the poem "Hrytsko Skovoroda", Kulish completed the artistic understanding of the image of the prominent Ukrainian, embedding him not only in the context of the 18th century but also in the millennia-long history of Ukraine.
On December 3, 2020, on the birthday of Hryhorii Skovoroda, the facade of the 120-year-old "Building with Dragons" – an abandoned structure on Taras Shevchenko Boulevard 19 in Kyiv, turned into a gallery. The installation "The Sleeping House" was created as part of the "Peeking into the Windows" project. The exhibition was implemented by the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers in collaboration with the NGO Renovation Map. We express our gratitude for the support of Yuliia Klymenko and the Department of Cultural Heritage Protection of the Kyiv City State Administration.
According to the authors' concept, for the exhibition realization, the building's facade was transformed into a gallery of unique archival portraits of Ukrainians in traditional dress. These belong to the renowned Ukrainian photographer Ivan Karpov (provided by the Shostka Local History Museum). The eyes, digitally closed in the photos, symbolize Hryhorii Skovoroda's philosophy and the interpretation of today's world, where people increasingly distance themselves from reality and dive into a world created by media and advertising. The main element of the exposition became a large portrait of Hryhorii Skovoroda (provided by the National Literary-Memorial Museum of H.S. Skovoroda).
"The whole world sleeps," Skovoroda often said. In this, his philosophy resonates with Buddhism, where reality is compared to a dream. Researchers of Hryhorii Savych's life and creative path confirm that in the late autumn of 1758, he had a dream: an invisible force showed Skovoroda horrific scenes of human "divergence", reminiscent of Bosch's phantasmagoria – depicting the lives of nobles and commoners, merchants and priests. This dream, taken by Hryhorii as a divine revelation, prompted the philosopher to renounce the world and delve into himself.
"Peeking into the Windows" is a project that not only offers a glimpse into the faces of a long-gone era but also serves as a reminder of the photographers from the beginning of the previous century, whose names are known only to connoisseurs of archival photography.
Daria Korba, head of the NGO "Renovation Map", architect: "Our goal is to draw society's and authorities' attention to the problem of the decline of valuable buildings and to popularize the creativity of Ukrainian photographers and the history of Ukrainian photography. Using the empty windows of the abandoned building as frames for photos synthesizes the art of photography and architecture. They enrich each other with new meanings and seem to speak to the observer: 'A conscious effort to preserve history is necessary in all spheres of our nation's cultural heritage.'"
The choice of the building for the project was not accidental. The story of the "Building with Dragons" began in the late 19th century. Its first owner was Ivan Khilchevskyi, known as a compatriot and great friend of Panteleimon Kulish – the father of the Ukrainian historical novel and researcher of Hryhorii Skovoroda's creativity. Kulish, in the poem "Hrytsko Skovoroda", completed the artistic comprehension of the image of the distinguished Ukrainian, placing him not only in the context of the 18th century but also within the millennia-long history of Ukraine.
Yaroslaviv Val 15 is a building that is an architectural monument and was built during Soviet times as the "Zvezda" hotel. In the courtyard (Yaroslaviv Val St, 15b) since the beginning of the last century, there has been a mansion of prominent Kyiv residents - the Sikorsky family. Ivan Sikorsky was a well-known Kyiv doctor, and his son Igor was an inventor, known as the "father" of the helicopter. In 1910, Igor Sikorsky first took to the skies of Kyiv in an aircraft of his own design.
The "Living" exhibition "Peeking Through the Windows" was realized with the sponsorship of the "Kyiv Charitable Society" and the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPP). The project underwent a competitive selection by the Expert Council of the Society and was supported by the city's benefactors.
The goal of the project is to use an original form of art presentation: using empty windows of buildings as frames for photographs and transforming the facades of old vacant buildings into a live exhibition. This technique was used in decorating buildings in the center of Warsaw, Vilnius, and other European capitals.
Mstyslav Chernov, the Head of the Board of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPP), stated: "Peeking Through the Windows is a step towards the revival of traditional Ukrainian photography. It is very important to us that all the photographs used were taken by Ukrainian photographers working within modern-day Ukraine, and are known for their craftsmanship in Russia and Europe. Urban art is a new approach to classic photography, which will make it interesting and relevant, and we hope it will find support from patrons and simply people who care about their city."
