On November 12, the opening of the artistic event „Birth of Birth“ took place in KMCUA in Lutsk, which launched the „COSMOGONY“ project. Many people, including representatives of the Ukrainian artistic community, came to see how history is being made at the Korsaki Museum. The height of the newly created painting will reach 10 m, and the width — 200 m, with a total area of 2,000 m2. It will be formed from approximately 300 individual fragments, each of which will simultaneously be an independent art object. This work will be created by the iconic Ukrainian artist Petro Antyp over the course of a year and a half.
The name of the „COSMOGONY“ project comes from the Greek word „birth“. The performance will show the rethinking of the depiction of history from the Big Bang to the present day and a reflection on the development of humanity and modern Human.
„History remembers only the first ones. So if we do something for the first time, it will go down in history. And it will become a train that will pull our art to the world level. After all, modern Ukrainian art exists, and it is of high quality. The only problem is that too few people know it,“ says Victor Korsak, curator of the „COSMOGONY“ project and the founder of the KMCUA.
Today, Russian propaganda spreads dehumanizing anti-Ukrainian messages and literally steals Ukrainian culture, especially after a series of recent military successes of Ukraine. Under such conditions, it is extremely important to show Ukrainian cultural achievements, and achievements of the cultural front.
„I’ve found out that the Russians took away fifteen thousand paintings from the museum in Kherson. They are robbing our history. A huge part of the collections of their Hermitage and Pushkin’s Museum consists of works exported from Ukraine over the past 300 years. And if we take them back, then the Hermitage will no longer be the same“ says Petro Antyp. In 2014, the artist had to leave his native Horlivka in Donetsk region, because he could have been killed for his pro-Ukrainian position and patriotism. Today he lives and works in Lutsk.
For 18 months, in parallel with the creation of the largest canvas artwork in the world, various activities related to the theme of „COSMOGONY“ will take place in Lutsk KMCUA: art events, master classes, informative lectures, scientific forums, conferences, etc. This will allow visitors not only to get answers to difficult questions, but also to form their own vision of the genesis of the Universe. Also, an important component of the project is that Museum visitors will witness the longest performance in the world. The artistic performance by Petro Antyp will last more than 3000 hours.
The Korsaks’ Museum of the Contemporary Ukrainian Art was created for the purpose of promoting Ukrainian art in the world. The museum presents the works of more than 100 outstanding artists (more than 1000 art objects): paintings, graphics, sculptures, installations, and video art. This is a collection of works of art by the best Ukrainian authors of the 20th-21st centuries.
Museum representatives on behalf of the KMCUA constantly support Ukrainian volunteers, initiate their own projects (for example, the „ART BATTALION“ marathon: an artistic marathon that will last until the victory of Ukraine. It includes daily concerts, literary meetings, plays, performances, master classes). To date, more than 100 events have been held. Museum employees themselves are volunteers, and all the funds collected from projects are donated to charity and support of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Thanks to the launch of the „COSMOGONY“ project, the Korsaks’ Museum is expanding by another 5,000 m2. The total area will be 12,500 m2. The authors of the project are convinced that the idea will contribute to the recognition of Lutsk, and Ukraine as a whole, as global tourist locations.
In the future, authors consider the possibility of temporarily exhibiting the fragments of the canvas in museums in Europe and around the world.