Culture in Munich: Kyrylo Zhornovyi is planning an exhibition – Munich

Kyrylo Zhornovyi’s world has collapsed twice this year. The first time was on February 24, the day the war in Ukraine began. And again about three weeks ago. When the 25-year-old received the news that his father had died as a soldier in this war. More than 1,500 kilometers from Munich, where the young Ukrainian lives. He can’t talk about it yet.

Kyrylo’s story is not about grief. It’s a story about anger. Anger at Russia, anger at Vladimir Putin, anger at the injustice in this world. And it is above all a story about bravery. Courage that is needed not to hide under the blanket despite all this, but to fight against the feeling of helplessness. Just a few days after Kyrylo found out about his loss, he uploaded an appeal to Instagram: He is looking for Ukrainian artists in Bavaria. For an exhibition. It was said immediately. Kyrylo, who is an artist himself, was in a hurry.

The idea for an exhibition came up before the start of the war. “Many Germans still have an old world view from Soviet times, that Russians and Ukrainians are the same people. They know almost nothing about Ukraine and its modern art, which has split off from Soviet forms,” ​​says Kyrylo. Right now it is important to remind people in this country of this diverse culture, the existence of which is also at stake. “Awareness has dropped significantly. In the beginning, people posted a lot about Ukraine on social media, but now they’re slowly getting tired of the war.”

Kyrylo can partly understand that, they lack the direct connection to those affected – he also wants to change that with his exhibition. He not only wants to give an insight into Ukrainian art, but also into the lives of the people behind it.

It’s almost surreal to see Kyrylo sitting in a café on Münchner Freiheit on a sunny September evening, among all the laughing couples, the professionals busily typing on their laptop keyboards while others on the same continent fight for their lives.

After the outbreak of war, Kyrylo stopped painting. Instead, he worked as a translator for refugees and sorted relief supplies in camps

Kyrylo wears a pink check shirt. He, too, describes the feeling he associates with war as surreal. He still can’t quite grasp what has been going on in his home country for more than 200 days. “It’s like a nightmare I can’t wake up from,” he says. Kyrylo is a reserved, almost shy young man. In the beginning he doesn’t talk much, keeps looking at the ground to his left. He finds it difficult to maintain eye contact. The events of that year must have severely shaken his basic trust. But the longer the conversation goes on, the more he blossoms until he can hardly be interrupted. What remains are the composed tone and the serious look that makes his otherwise youthful face suddenly appear older.

The native Ukrainian has been living in Munich for seven years. He left his home country to study architecture. He had attended an art school there, and there was no time left for painting – until the lockdown in 2020, when he resumed his hobby. Kyrylo’s works are colorful and surrealistic, deal with current political and social issues and refer to the unconscious and invisible. The outbreak of war silenced him. For months he didn’t manage a single brushstroke. “I didn’t feel it was relevant to paint anything.” Instead, Kyrylo worked as a translator for refugees and sorted relief supplies in camps.

“If I’m not on the battlefield, at least I want to help in some other way.”

In the meantime he has resumed artistic activity and has also taken part in a number of exhibitions to collect donations. “If I’m not on the battlefield, at least I want to help in some other way,” he says quietly. A subliminal feeling of guilt resonates in his voice. Because he can sit in this café while people in Ukraine fear for their lives. Even if he does everything to support his compatriots, he can’t get rid of that “what if?” feeling.

Kyrylo was very lucky. A few days before February 24, he wanted to travel to Ukraine, but his flight was canceled by accident. If the young man with a Ukrainian passport had actually entered the country, he would not have been allowed to leave the country. Shortly thereafter, his mother fled to Munich with two cats in her luggage. Since then she has lived with Kyrylo and his partner in a three-room apartment and sleeps in the study where the artist used to paint.

Open detailed view

Kyrylo has moved into the living room with his utensils. Working on his art helps him deal with the situation. “Bringing experiences to the screen is like speaking it out to a psychotherapist. It allows you to process them and better understand your feelings and thoughts.” Among other things, a Russia-critical image was created. Based on the painting “The Son of Man” by René Magritte, it shows Putin with a grenade instead of an apple in front of his face. “I think the picture just came out of a deep, inner hatred.” Kyrylo laughs bitterly. In doing so, he underscores the cruelty and senselessness of war.

Now and then, however, it also succeeds in eliciting a sincere laugh from him. For example when Kyrylo talks about the few moments of happiness in his current life, his cats or his new art project. He has started making small sculptures that are expressions of emotions. The first face of the series is green, its eyes closed and its mouth drawn into a smile. It symbolizes hope. “We don’t see a future directly, but we hope for a brighter future,” explains Kyrylo. The next sculpture is intended to express sadness. The artist breathes heavily before adding, “The grief of wives who have lost their husbands.” You know right away that he’s thinking about his own mother – even if he doesn’t say it out loud.

When the war broke out, art took a back seat

In addition to Kyrylo, 15 other artists will show their works at the exhibition. Two thirds come from Ukraine. They either still live there or have fled to other European countries. Many of them cannot carry out their work as usual and live at the subsistence level. When the war broke out, art took a back seat. Kyrylo wants to help artists gain visibility and establish new networks. Among other things, with the five Bavarian artists he invited. All of the works are then to be sold or auctioned off and some will benefit their authors themselves, and some will benefit Ukrainian aid organizations. Provided that the exhibition can ideally take place at the end of November or beginning of December. Kyrylo is still looking for funding.

He called his project “Colours of Freedom”; the logo bears the colors of the Ukrainian flag, blue and yellow, “which have become a symbol of resistance to aggression and dictatorship worldwide,” as Kyrylo writes in his exhibition concept. In the conversation he quotes the Ukrainian writer Irina Rastorgujewa with her guest article in the FAZ: “If the Russian army stops fighting, there will be no more war in Ukraine. If the Ukrainian army stops fighting, there will be no more Ukraine.” It is important for Kyrylo to emphasize that Ukrainian soldiers are not only defending their own country, but the security and values ​​of an entire continent.

Shortly after his father’s death, Kyrylo shares some photos of him on Instagram. Below he writes: “Don’t forget that the war in Ukraine is still ongoing, that Ukrainians sacrifice their lives every day for the freedom of Europe. Listen to our voices, share our word, donate what you can to stop Russia. “

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