The first in Ukraine international exhibition of contemporary art in the virtual space

www.strangetime.art

On May 7 the “Strange Time”– the first large-scale international online exhibition in Ukraine, created by Ukrainian artist Stepan Ryabchenko from Odessa, within the framework of the Art Laboratory in collaboration with the National Center "Ukrainian House", was launched. Strange Time is a new format, a new look at current events in the world. Contemporary artists of different generations, working in different genres, explore the "Strange Time" and offer their own assessment and perception of what is happening in the world.

"The project was created on the principle of a constantly developing living organism, and so of the virus itself, but as an artistic antidote."

Stepan Ryabchenko

The Strange Time project presents the works of artists from all over the world - this includes the pop-surreal works of Kenny Scharf – an American artist and friend of Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. A conceptual photo of the American artist Alex Yudzon, and Swedish artist Anders Krisár. Wax post-apocalyptic structures by Gene Kiegel and wooden paintings by Soviet nonconformist Lucien Dulfan. Ironic works of American Samuel Jablon, and Briton Richie Culver, kinetic sculptures of Nik Ramage and spatial deconstruction of Felix Schramm. Post-conceptual installations by the German artist Hannah Hallermann, and the French artist Valentin Abad, abstract works by the Spaniard Guillermo Mora, and many others.

Ukrainian art is presented as well-known works, which in the context of the project acquire a new sound, and as a completely new works that are exhibited for the first time. Expressive painting with elements of computer graphics and the installation of Vasiliy Ryabchenko. Praising the stereotypes from the post-media paintings by Oleg Tistol. Everyday graphics portrayed by Marina Skugareva and the disturbing works of Pavlo Kerestey. Also, the online exhibition features signature works on the carpets of Andriy Sagaidakovsky, cinematic paintings by Vasiliy Tsagolov, biofuturistic installations by Aljosha, surrealistic collages by Alexander Roitburd and Ukrainian-Danish artist, Sergei Sviatchenko. Prophetic paintings by Victor Sydorenko and Mykola Matsenko, computer viruses by Stepan Ryabchenko, and his new work “Hunter”, due to which the idea to create and “launch” Strange Time was born.

“The objective of our project is to show what creative energy is aimed at today and how the artist see this time. Because in times of uncertainty, art is one of the first places that helps us to find the way in the darkness and to open a new world and a new system of relations.”

says the artist and curator of the project Stepan Ryabchenko.

The online exhibition is dedicated to global changes which impact not only the life of each of us, but also the systems and structures of entire states.

“At the same time, a pandemic is not so much a cause as a catalyst for the systemic problems of society and the current world order.”

Stepan Ryabchenko

“Strange Time is my debut curatorial project, which I am launching within the framework of the Art Laboratory creative association, created in the 90s by my father, Vasiliy Ryabchenko, to develop and support contemporary Ukrainian art. One of the key tasks of the association is to create a global platform for large-scale art projects and bring together artists and representatives of creative professions from different countries and different continents. We proved again that art has no boundaries and cannot be sent to quarantining.”

Exhibition