On December 3, 2020, Hryhorii Skovoroda's birthday, the facade of the 120-year-old House of Dragons, an abandoned building at 19 Taras Shevchenko Boulevard in Kyiv, was transformed into a gallery.
The Sleeping House installation was created as part of the Peeping Through Windows project. The exhibition was organized by the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers in cooperation with the NGO Renovation Map. We are grateful for the support of Yulia Klymenko and the Department of Cultural Heritage Protection of the Kyiv City State Administration.
According to the authors, for the exhibition, the facade of the building was turned into a gallery of unique archival portraits of Ukrainians in traditional attire, authored by the famous Ukrainian photographer Ivan Karpov (provided by the Shostka Museum of Local Lore). Closed by computer graphics, the eyes in the photographs symbolize the philosophy of Grigory Skovoroda and the interpretation of the modern world, in which people are increasingly moving away from reality and immersed in the world created by media and advertising. The central element of the exhibition is a large portrait of Grigory Skovoroda (provided by the National Literary and Memorial Museum of G. S. Skovoroda).
"The whole world is asleep," - Skovoroda often repeated. In this, his philosophy echoes Buddhism, where reality is likened to sleep. Researchers of the life and work of Grigory Savich confirm that in the late autumn of 1758 he had a dream: an invisible force showed Skovoroda terrible pictures of human "diversity," reminiscent of Bosch's phantasmagoria - images of the life of magnates and commoners, merchants and priests. This dream, perceived by Gregory as a divine revelation, prompted the philosopher to withdraw from the world and plunge into himself.
"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 of the beginning of the last 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 the attention of society and the authorities to the problem of the decline of valuable buildings, as well as to popularize the work of Ukrainian photographers and the history of Ukrainian photography. The use of empty windows of an abandoned building as frames for photographs synthesizes the art of photography and architecture. They enrich each other with new meanings and seem to say to the observer: "Conscious efforts to preserve history are necessary in all spheres of the cultural heritage of our people."
The building for the project was also chosen not by chance. The history of the House with Dragons begins at the end of the 19th century. Its first owner was the enlightener Ivan Khilchevsky, known as a fellow countryman and close friend of Panteleimon Kulish, the father of the Ukrainian historical novel and researcher of the work of Grigory Skovoroda. In the poem "Hrytsko Skovoroda" Kulish completed the artistic understanding of the image of a prominent Ukrainian, inscribing it not only in the context of the 18th century, but also in the thousand-year history of Ukraine.
On December 3, 2020, the birthday of Grigory Skovoroda, the facade of the 120-year-old "House with Dragons" - an abandoned building on 19 Taras Shevchenko Boulevard in Kyiv - turned into a gallery. The installation "Sleeping House" was created as part of the project "Looking through the windows." The exhibition was implemented by the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers in cooperation with the public organization "Renovation Map." We express our gratitude for the support of Yulia Klimenko and the Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of the Kyiv City State Administration.
According to the authors, for the implementation of the exhibition, the facade of the building was turned into a gallery of unique archival portraits of Ukrainians in traditional attire. They belong to the famous Ukrainian photographer Ivan Karpov (provided by the Shostka Museum of Local Lore). The eyes closed in the photographs symbolize the philosophy of Hryhoriy Skovoroda and the interpretation of the modern world, where people increasingly distance themselves from reality and immerse themselves in the world created by media and advertising. The main element of the exposition was a large portrait of Grigory Skovoroda (provided by the National Literary and Memorial Museum of G. S. Skovoroda).
"The whole world is asleep," Skovoroda often repeated. In this, his philosophy echoes Buddhism, where reality is compared with sleep. Researchers of the life and creative path of Grigory Savich confirm that in the late autumn of 1758 he had a dream: an invisible force showed Skovoroda terrible scenes of human "difference," reminiscent of the phantasmagoria of Bosch - with the life of nobles and commoners, merchants and priests. This dream, perceived by Gregory as a divine revelation, prompted the philosopher to renounce the world and delve into himself.
"Peeping Through the Windows" is a project that not only offers a glimpse into the faces of a bygone era, but also reminds of photographers of the beginning of the last 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 the attention of society and the authorities to the problem of the decline of valuable buildings, as well as to popularize the work of Ukrainian photographers and the history of Ukrainian photography. The use of empty windows of an abandoned building as frames for photographs synthesizes the art of photography and architecture. They enrich each other with new meanings and seem to say to the observer: "Conscious efforts to preserve history are necessary in all spheres of the cultural heritage of our people."
The choice of building for the project was not accidental. The history of the House with Dragons began in the late 19th century. Its first owner was Ivan Khilchevsky, known as a fellow countryman and great friend of Panteleimon Kulish, the father of the Ukrainian historical novel and researcher of the work of Grigory Skovoroda. Kulish in the poem "Hrytsko Skovoroda" completed the artistic understanding of the image of a prominent Ukrainian, placing it not only in the context of the 18th century, but also in the thousand-year history of Ukraine.
Yaroslavov Val, 15 - a building that is an architectural monument and was built in Soviet times as a hotel "Star." In the courtyard (st. Yaroslavov Val, 15b) from the beginning of the last century there was a mansion of prominent Kyiv residents - the Sikorsky family. Ivan Sikorsky was a famous 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 on an aircraft of his own design.
The exhibition "Living" "Peeping through the Windows" was implemented with the support of the Kyiv Charity Society and the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPF). The project passed the competitive selection of the Expert Council of the Society and was supported by benefactors of the city.
The aim of the project is to use the original form of presentation of art: the use of empty windows of buildings as frames for photographs and the transformation of the facades of old abandoned buildings into a live exhibition. This technique was used in the design of buildings in the center of Warsaw, Vilnius and other European capitals.
This was stated by Mstislav Chernov, Chairman of the Board of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPF): "Peeping at the Windows" is a step towards the revival of traditional Ukrainian photography. It is very important for us that all the photographs used are made by Ukrainian photographers working within modern Ukraine, and are known for their skill in Russia and Europe. Urban art is a new approach to classical photography that will make it interesting and relevant, and we hope that it will find the support of patrons and people who are simply not indifferent to their city."
On December 3, 2020, Hryhorii Skovoroda's birthday, the facade of the 120-year-old House of Dragons, an abandoned building at 19 Taras Shevchenko Boulevard in Kyiv, was transformed into a gallery.
The Sleeping House installation was created as part of the Peeping Through Windows project. The exhibition was organized by the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers in cooperation with the NGO Renovation Map. We are grateful for the support of Yulia Klymenko and the Department of Cultural Heritage Protection of the Kyiv City State Administration.
According to the authors, for the exhibition, the facade of the building was turned into a gallery of unique archival portraits of Ukrainians in traditional attire, authored by the famous Ukrainian photographer Ivan Karpov (provided by the Shostka Museum of Local Lore). Closed by computer graphics, the eyes in the photographs symbolize the philosophy of Grigory Skovoroda and the interpretation of the modern world, in which people are increasingly moving away from reality and immersed in the world created by media and advertising. The central element of the exhibition is a large portrait of Grigory Skovoroda (provided by the National Literary and Memorial Museum of G. S. Skovoroda).
"The whole world is asleep," - Skovoroda often repeated. In this, his philosophy echoes Buddhism, where reality is likened to sleep. Researchers of the life and work of Grigory Savich confirm that in the late autumn of 1758 he had a dream: an invisible force showed Skovoroda terrible pictures of human "diversity," reminiscent of Bosch's phantasmagoria - images of the life of magnates and commoners, merchants and priests. This dream, perceived by Gregory as a divine revelation, prompted the philosopher to withdraw from the world and plunge into himself.
"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 of the beginning of the last 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 the attention of society and the authorities to the problem of the decline of valuable buildings, as well as to popularize the work of Ukrainian photographers and the history of Ukrainian photography. The use of empty windows of an abandoned building as frames for photographs synthesizes the art of photography and architecture. They enrich each other with new meanings and seem to say to the observer: "Conscious efforts to preserve history are necessary in all spheres of the cultural heritage of our people."
The building for the project was also chosen not by chance. The history of the House with Dragons begins at the end of the 19th century. Its first owner was the enlightener Ivan Khilchevsky, known as a fellow countryman and close friend of Panteleimon Kulish, the father of the Ukrainian historical novel and researcher of the work of Grigory Skovoroda. In the poem "Hrytsko Skovoroda" Kulish completed the artistic understanding of the image of a prominent Ukrainian, inscribing it not only in the context of the 18th century, but also in the thousand-year history of Ukraine.
On December 3, 2020, the birthday of Grigory Skovoroda, the facade of the 120-year-old "House with Dragons" - an abandoned building on 19 Taras Shevchenko Boulevard in Kyiv - turned into a gallery. The installation "Sleeping House" was created as part of the project "Looking through the windows." The exhibition was implemented by the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers in cooperation with the public organization "Renovation Map." We express our gratitude for the support of Yulia Klimenko and the Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of the Kyiv City State Administration.
According to the authors, for the implementation of the exhibition, the facade of the building was turned into a gallery of unique archival portraits of Ukrainians in traditional attire. They belong to the famous Ukrainian photographer Ivan Karpov (provided by the Shostka Museum of Local Lore). The eyes closed in the photographs symbolize the philosophy of Hryhoriy Skovoroda and the interpretation of the modern world, where people increasingly distance themselves from reality and immerse themselves in the world created by media and advertising. The main element of the exposition was a large portrait of Grigory Skovoroda (provided by the National Literary and Memorial Museum of G. S. Skovoroda).
"The whole world is asleep," Skovoroda often repeated. In this, his philosophy echoes Buddhism, where reality is compared with sleep. Researchers of the life and creative path of Grigory Savich confirm that in the late autumn of 1758 he had a dream: an invisible force showed Skovoroda terrible scenes of human "difference," reminiscent of the phantasmagoria of Bosch - with the life of nobles and commoners, merchants and priests. This dream, perceived by Gregory as a divine revelation, prompted the philosopher to renounce the world and delve into himself.
"Peeping Through the Windows" is a project that not only offers a glimpse into the faces of a bygone era, but also reminds of photographers of the beginning of the last 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 the attention of society and the authorities to the problem of the decline of valuable buildings, as well as to popularize the work of Ukrainian photographers and the history of Ukrainian photography. The use of empty windows of an abandoned building as frames for photographs synthesizes the art of photography and architecture. They enrich each other with new meanings and seem to say to the observer: "Conscious efforts to preserve history are necessary in all spheres of the cultural heritage of our people."
The choice of building for the project was not accidental. The history of the House with Dragons began in the late 19th century. Its first owner was Ivan Khilchevsky, known as a fellow countryman and great friend of Panteleimon Kulish, the father of the Ukrainian historical novel and researcher of the work of Grigory Skovoroda. Kulish in the poem "Hrytsko Skovoroda" completed the artistic understanding of the image of a prominent Ukrainian, placing it not only in the context of the 18th century, but also in the thousand-year history of Ukraine.
Yaroslavov Val, 15 - a building that is an architectural monument and was built in Soviet times as a hotel "Star." In the courtyard (st. Yaroslavov Val, 15b) from the beginning of the last century there was a mansion of prominent Kyiv residents - the Sikorsky family. Ivan Sikorsky was a famous 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 on an aircraft of his own design.
The exhibition "Living" "Peeping through the Windows" was implemented with the support of the Kyiv Charity Society and the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPF). The project passed the competitive selection of the Expert Council of the Society and was supported by benefactors of the city.
The aim of the project is to use the original form of presentation of art: the use of empty windows of buildings as frames for photographs and the transformation of the facades of old abandoned buildings into a live exhibition. This technique was used in the design of buildings in the center of Warsaw, Vilnius and other European capitals.
This was stated by Mstislav Chernov, Chairman of the Board of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPF): "Peeping at the Windows" is a step towards the revival of traditional Ukrainian photography. It is very important for us that all the photographs used are made by Ukrainian photographers working within modern Ukraine, and are known for their skill in Russia and Europe. Urban art is a new approach to classical photography that will make it interesting and relevant, and we hope that it will find the support of patrons and people who are simply not indifferent to their city."
UAPP is an independent association of professional Ukrainian photographers, designed to protect their interests, support, develop and promote Ukrainian photography as an important element of national culture.
UAPP's activities span educational, social, research and cultural initiatives, as well as book publishing.
UAPP represents Ukrainian professional photography in the international photographic community and is an official member of the Federation of European Photographers (FEP) — an international organization representing more than 50,000 professional photographers in Europe and other countries around the world.
