Ukrainian Modernism.

After visiting the Cathedral Suzi and I sat in an outdoor café on the plaza in front of the cathedral enjoying a coffee and deciding what to do next.

There are a good number of chalk artists in the plaza before the cathedral. They were buskers in a sense loose change from people enjoying the art or who want to take a picture. Several chalk artists did shields from different countries with messages of peace and understanding inviting people to “like” different countries with their change. One of the more successful chalk artists chalked Russian and Ukrainian flags on the pavement and asked people to vote with their coins. The Ukrainian flag had more coins of higher denominations.

Perhaps it was the chalk artists, but also Joe’s recommendation, that helped us decide to visit the Ludwig Modern Art Museum just on the other side of the cathedral. The Ludwig was having an exhibit of Ukrainian Modernism. Artists from the 1920s who were celebrated by the early Soviets and then suppressed when Stalin decided to destroy Ukrainian Culture and starve the country in the Holodomor in the early 1930s. Most of the art is from the 20s from Soviet Art exhibits that were held in Germany and, when the Holodomor started were never returned. Some of the art is contemporary, as in the past few years, but refers to the art of the late 1920s. Rather than try to recap what the exhibit means I have included some shots of the cards interpreting the exhibit. There are proximity alarms near some of the art. When I leaned in to try to read the cards the alarm went off and a polite but firm guard told me to back up. So, to read the cards I took their pictures, some of which I share with you.

While in the museum my camera decided to create some modern art, “found art.” The display went haywire although, when I could frame them through the lines, the pictures came out ok.