NEW YORK, NY.- The Ukrainian Museum, New York announces two exhibitions - Maria Prymachenko: Glory to Ukraine (until 7th April 2024) and Wearloom: Ukrainian Garments guest curated by Helena Christensen (until 17th January 2024).
In the Main Gallery Maria Prymachenko: Glory to Ukraine honours the distinctive style and diverse practice of one of Ukraine’s most celebrated artists, Maria Prymachenko (1909–1997). It is the first exhibition outside of Europe on Prymachenko, and the largest ever of her work - an icon of Ukrainian culture, identity and tradition. The First Floor Gallery hosts Wearloom: Ukrainian Garments guest curated by international supermodel, designer, and photographer Helena Christensen. This expansive exhibition offers a new interpretation of Ukrainian traditional embroidery and costumes, addressing the aesthetics of embroidered and historic garments and accessories from a modern female perspective.
Hosted simultaneously, the two exhibitions offer a rare opportunity to encounter Ukraine’s history of clothing, textiles and embroidery, and its influence on Maria Prymachenko, one of its most celebrated artists.The exhibitions are held as The Ukrainian Museum continues to celebrate the resilience of Ukraine’s cultural heritage and spirit in the face of Russia’s invasion.
Maria Prymachenko: Glory to Ukraine, until 7th April 2024
The Ukrainian Museum is also presenting the exhibition of Ukrainian artist Maria Prymachenko’s work, entitled Maria Prymachenko: Glory to Ukraine until the 7th April 2024.
The largest exhibition of her work - and the first held outside of Europe - Maria Prymachenko: Glory to Ukraine is a celebration of her innovation, a tribute to her resounding legacy, and a testament to the unbreakable spirit of Ukrainian identity.
On 27 February 2022, just three days into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces destroyed a museum in Ivankiv, a village near Kyiv, where the renowned Prymachenko’s works were stored and exhibited. In the face of war and the destruction of Ukrainian art en masse, The Ukrainian Museum immediately decided to mount an exhibition on Prymachenko, a visionary whom Pablo Picasso once dubbed an “artistic miracle”.
Prymachenko is widely known for her brilliantly colored and inventive scenes of animals – lions, bears, birds, horses, and strange behemoths – strewn in psychedelia like patterns. “Her vibrant, densely populated compositions depict an array of fantastic creatures, mythical beasts, and ethereal landscapes, all infused with a sense of enchantment and spiritualism,” says Peter Doroshenko, director of The Ukrainian Museum and curator of the exhibition. “Each painting seems to transport the viewer to a world that exists somewhere between reality and fantasy, evoking emotions of wonder, awe, and curiosity.” He adds, “It is impossible not to be inspired and enchanted by the unique world she created through her art.”
An icon of Ukrainian culture, identity, resilience, and tradition, Maria Prymachenko (1909–1997) is one of the most celebrated artists in Ukraine. Born in the village of Bolotnia, near Chornobyl, Prymachenko possessed an innate artistic talent that was evident from a young age. Despite having no formal art education, Prymachenko’s work across her 60 year career is highly distinct in style, and often drew from her rich connection with nature and Ukrainian cultural heritage, folklore and mythology.
“She drew inspiration from folk tales and traditions passed down through generations, weaving them into a visual tapestry that celebrates the beauty and mysticism of Ukrainian folklore,” Doroshenko notes. “Her use of vibrant colors and intricate details brings her subjects to life, creating a captivating visual experience that engages all our senses.”
If at first her works appear strictly traditional, a closer look at her intricate works reveals that the animals, beasts and gardens are portraits of political leaders, criticisms of the Soviet Union, or anti-nuclear and anti-war symbols. Perhaps due to her unassuming village life - complete with a small farm and many animals - Prymachenko miraculously avoided the Soviet authorities, and was one of the few Ukrainian artists of her time to survive Stalin’s cultural purges.
Maria Prymachenko: Glory to Ukraine shows the diversity of her prolific 60 year practice, featuring over 100 paintings, unique ceramic works, wooden objects, embroidered garments, drawings and illustrations. All of the artworks have been retrieved from Kyiv, and many have never been exhibited. In conjunction with the exhibition, Rodovid Press in Kyiv is publishing a 220-page catalogue, the first such publication in both English and Ukrainian.
Maria Prymachenko
Maria Prymachenko (January 12, 1909 – August 18, 1997) was born into a humble farming family and spent the majority of her life in the village of Bolotnia, in the Kyiv oblast, just 19 miles from Chornobyl. As a child she contracted polio which left her bedridden for much of her childhood, although she learned the fine arts of painting, embroidery and pysanka - the Ukrainian tradition of decorating Easter eggs - in this time. In 1936, her paintings were featured at the First Republican Exhibition of Folk Art, which was shown in Moscow, Leningrad, and Warsaw, and in 1937 her works were exhibited at the Paris World’s Fair. Subsequent exhibitions took place across the former Soviet Union, Ukraine, Poland, Bulgaria, France, and Canada. One of Ukraine’s most beloved artists, her work has appeared on the country’s stamps and coins.
Wearloom: Ukrainian Garments guest curated by Helena Christensen, until January 17th, 2024
The Ukrainian Museum in New York introduces international supermodel, designer, and photographer Helena Christensen as the guest curator of Wearloom: Ukrainian Garments, running until January 17th, 2024.
This expansive exhibition offers a new interpretation of traditional Ukrainian embroidery and costumes, addressing the aesthetics of embroidered and historic garments and accessories from a modern female perspective. Pushing the physical boundaries of institutional fashion exhibitions, Wearloom: Ukrainian Garments begins with classic mannequin presentations of traditional costumes from the Poltava, Hutsul, Bukovyna, Polissia, Volyn, and Lviv regions, and morphs to large wall installations of a variety of garments – embroidered shirts, woven sashes, skirts, sleeveless jackets, scarves, and more – highlighting the stylistic complexities of Ukraine’s many regions. Traditional costumes from the Poltava region in eastern Ukraine and the Carpathian (Hutsul) region in the west also feature progressive build-ups of individual garments all the way to the complete outfit, which is then presented on two mannequins, delineating the steps a woman takes to dress for a festive occasion. The exhibition is accentuated by a selection of traditional headdresses and jewelry.
Strolling through the exhibition, says Peter Doroshenko, director of The Ukrainian Museum, visitors will sense how clothing, including traditional festive clothing, empowers women. “It becomes obvious that women have, and have traditionally had, a very special connection to and interaction with clothing,” he says, “and that dressing for a special occasion can be an almost ritualistic experience.”
Guest curator Helena Christensen, whose mother hails from Peru, a country rich in the traditions of embroidery and weaving, has been “infatuated with embroidery from a young age,” and her long career in fashion includes creating a vintage clothing line that was sold in her mother’s store in Copenhagen. “I have been involved in fashion almost my entire life,” she says, “and have always been fascinated by the stories told by garments, especially traditional garments. This exhibition gave me a unique opportunity to explore traditional Ukrainian garments, and I invite visitors to join me on this fascinating journey.”
Ms. Christensen was born in Denmark and won the Miss Universe Denmark crown at the age of 17. She began modeling soon afterwards and by the 1990s had become one of the world’s supermodels. A former Victoria’s Secret Angel, she has graced the covers of numerous magazines and walked the runway for every major designer. She has also launched several clothing lines, partnered with Oxfam to document the impact of climate change in Peru, and raised funds to fight breast cancer. An accomplished photographer, her work has appeared in several magazines and exhibitions, one of which benefited Chernobyl Children’s Project International.
