In collaboration with Ukrainian.Photographies
and Open Eye Gallery, Ukrainian Institute organized the HOME project
The Ukrainian Institute, in collaboration with the Ukrainian.Photographies platform and the Open Eye Gallery, organized the HOME project, a series of exhibitions, public events, and publications to showcase contemporary Ukrainian photography. The project takes place during the EuroFestival in Liverpool as part of the UK/Ukraine Season of Culture.
The HOME project explores the concept of home through Ukrainian photography and British poetry. The project events are centered around the reflection on What does home mean? and take place across Liverpool. The project includes the main exhibition – HOME. Perspectives, as well as many other exhibitions, tours, and events in galleries and other venues around the city.
As part of the HOME. Perspectives exhibition, six photographers, namely Maryna Frolova, Oleksandr Chekmenov, Ihor Chekachkov, Polina Polikarpova, Yaroslav Solop, Mykhailo Palinchak, and six poets – Deryn Rees-Jones, Jackie Kay, James Conor Patterson, John Hegley, Hanan Issa, Roger McGough, share their stories about home.
The project also envisages publishing a book featuring the HOME project materials and producing the Home From Home film, already available online.
The University of Liverpool team has developed an app that guides EuroFestival guests and locals through five trails of photographic collections dedicated to 5 different aspects of Home. The trails’ themes are Land, Resistance, Liberty, Making, and Settings. A trail consists of 25 locations – cafes, shops, museums, and galleries – where the artworks of Ukrainian photographers are displayed, as well as postcards with their artworks, available for sale. The proceeds from the sale will go to the Hospitallers foundation. In addition, the app allows anyone to upload a photo with a letter, poem, or prose piece in response.
The Ukrainian Institute joined the project from the idea to its implementation and, together with the curators of the Ukrainian.Photographies and the main organizers – the Open Eye Gallery, created the programme of events. For the Ukrainian Institute, this format is a pilot – a programme provides a comprehensive presentation of a particular medium of Ukrainian art abroad and starts with photography (it can be later scaled up to graphics, illustration, media and video art, sculpture/installations, etc.). We have been working on this format before the full-scale invasion and we hope to continue.
In the fall, following the exhibition events, an online symposium will be held with the support of the British Council with a view to bring together leading researchers from Ukraine and abroad to discuss the artworks of several Ukrainian photographers. The symposium also aims to analyze and outline the results and impact of the HOME project events held in May.
Project photographers: Ihor Chekachkov, Polina Polikarpova, Maryna Frolova, Oleksandr Chekmenov, Yaroslav Solop, Andrii Rachynskyi, Oleksandr Burlaka, Dariia Svertilova, Olena Subach, Viacheslav Poliakov, Anton Shebetko, Yevhenii Pavlov, Anatolii Babiichuk, Nazar Furyk, Liia Dostlieva, Andrii Dostliev, Victor Marushchenko, Sasha Kurmaz, Valentyn Bo, Mykhailo Palinchak, Victoriia Pidust.
Project curators: Viktoriia Bavykina and Maksym Horbatskyi (Ukrainian.Photographies), Mariama Attah (Open Eye Gallery), Anastasiia Manuliak (Ukrainian Institute).
The event is supported by the British Council and the Ukrainian Institute as part of the UK/Ukraine Season of Culture. More information is available here.
PHOTO of the opening
Credits: Home. Perspectives photo exhibition, Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool, 2023, by Rob Battersby.
