For the 22nd time, NordArt, the international exhibition in Büdelsdorf (Schleswig-Holstein, Germany) invites you till 10 October to take a trip around the world of art. The country focus of NordArt 2021 is Ukraine. Among the 22 Ukrainian artists who presented their works, there are undoubtedly Odessans.

NordArt is an anchorage for artists from all over the world and a home for international art. This year’s country focus, which is dedicated to contemporary art in Ukraine.

Under the title "The Limits of Reality", the curators of the Ukrainian Pavilion are Evgen Karas and Darina Momot from Kyiv are presenting works by 22 Ukrainian artists and the “A4 ballpoint project”.

The patronage has been taken over by the Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany H.E. Dr. Andrij Melnyk.

Ukrainians, including world-famous masters and young talented authors, present their works in the central, largest pavilion, which occupies 2,000 square meters. Under the exhibition area is an industrial monument - the building of the former foundry Carlshütte and part of the old sculpture park.

Every year, the exhibition in Büdelsdorf is visited by about 100,000 visitors, who choose the best author and give him a special NordArt Public Choice Award. The main NordArt Prize is awarded to the participant selected by the jury. The organisers are confident that Ukrainians will once again demonstrate the worthy artistic potential of Ukraine.

Mykola Lukin

Lukin was born in 1988 in Odessa. He works in the fields of painting and graphics, objects and installations. He studied in the Grekov Art School in Odessa and graduated from the National Pedagogical University, in the faculty of Graphic Arts.

Mykola Lukin creates a tangible atmosphere of intimate existential experience with his work. The captured experiences refer to historical events, presented as figurative compositions. "Erased Faces" is a series of graphic portraits of warravaged people. The artist's reference for this series was a chronicle of a facial surgery from the First World War. By converting straightforward photographic documents into artworks, his intention and purpose were to transform the laboratory records of trauma into emotionally charged portraits. After all, even faceless portraits remain portraits.

Masha Reva

Masha was born 1987 in Odessa. In 2010, an MA in Fashion Design, Kyiv National University of Technology and Design. In 2015, an MA in Fashion Design, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London. Masha is a multidisciplinary artist with a background in fashion. She has collaborated with Simon Jaquemus, PepsiCo, Rachel Comey, Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and Nadiia, amongst others.

The distinctive feature in Masha Reva's work is her exploratory 'line'. She covers all kinds of surfaces with her drawings: from murals, jewellery, pottery and textiles to the human body. Reva's visual language consists of objects, designed and produced together with her team, and which she documents photographically herself. The project "Bugaz" reflects her childhood memories. Her childhood by the Black Sea, in a family of a sculptor and a designer, has shaped her approach to life. The grotesque characters of Odessa, the flea market treasures, artistic family traditions and a spirit of playfulness shaped her imaginative world. Her search for self-identity, crossing different disciplines, is an ongoing process.

Aliona Tokovenko

Aliona was born 1990 in Odessa. Works with painting, graphics and installation. Graduated from Grekov Odessa Art School and Kyiv National University of Technology and Design, Faculty of Costume Design.

Aliona Tokovenko uses abstraction and corporeality to deconstruct a body into visual objects. The shape and our perception of the objects are based on sensitivity and sensuality. She dissolves recognisable forms in her consciousness into an amorphous mass from which images and characters are moulded. These faceless figures are devoid of inner thoughts and feelings – both a shell and an essence, they represent raw physiology as well as painful themes. Intending to reveal the workings of her brain and to illustrate her imagination and thoughtprocess, the artist crosses boundaries between the visible and the imaginary.

The project "Phantom Pain" reflects Ukrainian history, culture and social processes. Tokovenko considers it impossible to move forward without in-depth analysis and rethinking of the profound and complex traumas and deformations that have been inflicted upon the consciousness of Ukrainian society.

Learn more about the project

Venue: Kunstwerk Carlshütte, Vorwerksallee, 24782 Büdelsdorf, Germany