An “Open Workshop” has started in the Latvian capital, creating mosaic paraphrases from the works of Maria Primachenko. They will be donated to the war-torn museum in the homeland of the folk artist, where her paintings were kept.
This was reported by a Ukrinform correspondent.
The Open Workshop mosaic marathon project was launched on Monday. After that, applications were accepted from all who wished to take part in it. On June 18, the actual work began at the Open Workshop, which was located in the Bazar’t art gallery in the Mols shopping center (Krasta iela 46).
“The work has begun and a grand opening has taken place. Impressions and results are pleasant: today we have already done five works, with which I congratulate all participants and our team. Thanks to Ukrainian singer Anastasia Yatsenko for performing three songs at the opening, including my favorite “Oh in the Meadow» “, – said the author of the idea and project manager Vadym Vernyk, who gathered a team to implement it.
The Museum of History and Local Lore from the small homeland of Maria Primachenko, located in the village of Ivankiv, Kyiv region, was destroyed on the third day of the war – February 26, 2022. At the same time, there was information that more than 20 paintings by a Ukrainian folk artist were burned during the fire. The Latvian mosaicist, head of the Mosaic Art Studio in Riga Vernik, a longtime admirer of Primachenko’s work, suggested making a series of works on fragments of Ukrainian paintings with the participation of many Latvians.
He found like-minded people to implement this idea. In particular, he involved in the project the heads of the Bazar’t Gallery Inessa Drone and the Happy Art Museum Galina Maksymova, as well as a Ukrainian refugee, a teacher at the Kyiv Academy of Decorative and Applied Arts and Design. M. Boychuk Maria Zenkova. (By the way, Anastasia Yatsenko, who spoke at the opening, is also a refugee from Bila Tserkva).
The essence of the project is the creation of paraphrases in the technique of mosaic from Murano smalt based on fragments from Primachenko’s paintings. It is planned to create 60 mosaics measuring 25×25, as well as one work 50×70. Zenkova selected the paintings and Vernik prepared the mosaic sketches. The motto of the project: “From the Latvian heart to the Ukrainian heart”.
Those wishing to take part in the project can register on the Open Workshop Facebook page.
At open workshops the children’s corner with professional teachers works. It is planned that the project will be completed by the day of Riga, August 18. Then a number of exhibitions of ready-made mosaics will take place: two in Riga and one in Jurmala. Exhibitions are also planned in Vilnius and possibly in Tallinn. In October, the created mosaics will be exhibited at the exhibition Art Riga Fair 2022, which is collected by Galina Maksimova. After that, the created collection will go to Ukraine, to the fund of the Ivankiv Museum.
The armed aggression of the Russian Federation has been going on in Ukraine since February 24. Russian troops are shelling and destroying key infrastructure facilities, carrying out massive shelling of residential areas of Ukrainian cities and villages using artillery, rocket-propelled grenades and ballistic missiles. This kills civilians, architectural monuments, cultural institutions, including museums.
The European Union has imposed six packages of economic and personal sanctions against the Russian Federation.