Ukrainian art continues to captivate not only European audiences but also extends its reach to Mexico. In the Mexican city of Guadalajara, an exhibition of works by contemporary Ukrainian artists titled "Home Beyond the Stars" is taking place, featuring 25 artists. Participating in the project are well-known artists such as Zhanna Kadyrova, Sasha Maslov, Roman Minin, Taras Kovach, Vitaliy Kokhan, Katya Libkind, Ksenia Hnylytska, Anna Zvyahintseva, Lusia Ivanova, Olena Subach, Katya Buchatska, and others.
The exhibition is dedicated to the changes in landscape and its perception, as well as the transformation of the concept of home in times of war. Some of its participants remain in Ukraine and work in their studios, while others have temporarily left the country. Some are engaged in volunteering, while others have joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The exhibition encompasses various artistic forms including painting, graphics, photography, video, and installation. Artworks narrate stories of loss and preservation of home, practices of unity and support, and the coexistence of art with life during times of war.
The exhibition is named after a poem by Bohdan-Ihor Antonych, a Ukrainian poet and prose writer of the early 20th century. The symbolic work "Home Beyond the Stars" was written shortly before the author's death at the age of 27. Due to its mystical and modernist nature, far from Soviet ideology, Antonych's texts were banned in the USSR until the 1960s.
"The Home Beyond the Stars is for those on the battlefield. For those whose homes are occupied. For those outside their city and country. For those whose homes are destroyed. For those who are at home but do not feel safe. Home is a place of memory, reconstruction, and the starting point of the future," emphasize the project's authors.
The exhibition reminds viewers, far from the Ukrainian context, that despite heavy losses, Ukrainian culture and contemporary art continue to thrive.
The exhibition is located in three halls of MUSA — the Museum of Arts of the University of Guadalajara in the heart of the city. The curator of the project is Nataliia Matsenko, an art historian from Kyiv, who last year worked on the preparation of the Ukrainian art exhibition "Unfolding Landscapes" in Brussels.
The exhibition in Guadalajara can be seen until February 24, 2024 — the second anniversary of the full-scale war. After that, it will also be presented in Mexico City with the support of the EU and the Embassy of Ukraine in Mexico.
