10th November 2011
The metal of the factory gleams in the sun. Around it, gathered on walkways around three steel structures and massed in the space in front, stand hundreds of workers, some in hard hats, others in lab coats or shirts and ties. Welcome to the world of Igor Gaidai, one of Ukraine’s top photographers, who recently […]
16th September 2011
One of the most striking buildings in Kyiv is the Mystetskyi Arsenal, or “Art Arsenal”, whose opening I attended back in August 2009. Built between 1783 and 1801, it has been restored to provide over twenty thousand square metres of dramatic exhibition space arranged in massive, high-arched rooms and is always worth a visit whatever […]
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9th September 2011
To the Mironova Gallery in Kyiv for the opening of the exhibition “Pop Art and its Kings”, featuring rare, recently rediscovered 1963 and 1964 photos of cult pop artists Andy Warhol and Robert Indiana by the photographer William John Kennedy. The black and white pictures are fascinating, showing the two artists on the eve of their […]
21st July 2011
I spent Tuesday in Kecskemet, also known as the “Famous City”, the “City of Tolerance” (on account of the large number of churches in the centre) and, informally, the “Capital of Art Nouveau” – and there are certainly some splendid examples of secessionist architecture there. In addition to meeting the Vice Mayor (photo above), the […]
6th July 2011
Four mighty slabs of gold hang on a wall. Nearby, a jacket gleams dully. A man’s head, twisted backwards, screams through golden lips. I’m at the “Ya Gallery”( ) in central Kyiv for the opening of a new exhibition, Mr Gold, curated by Pavlo Gudimov, whose Gudimov Art Project is always coming up with interesting […]
25th February 2011
What do an artist from Afghanistan and a Ukrainian dancer have in common? The answer is that both are big fans of Ukraine who are enriching the country’s cultural life. I’m delivering a short speech at an event at the M17 Cultural Centre in Kyiv organised by the International Organisation for Migration on a cold […]
18th February 2011
Back in Kyiv after a holiday in the mountain kingdom of Lesotho and a short working visit to London, I am intrigued to see advertised on the Foreign Office website an exhibition by British artist James Hart Dyke entitled “A Year with MI6”. To spend a year working with the Secret Intelligence Service and then […]