Thursday, 26 November 2009
Exhibition of Belarusian artists “Art Against Dictatorship” is being held these days in Washington. Grand opening took place on November, 23 at the entrance hall of the House of Representatives, in the Rayburn office building.
It was attended by representatives of Belarusian Diaspora in the US, US Congress and State Department officials, American NGOs, press, and private collectors of modern art. Speeches of welcome were made by a number of distinguished artists, as well as civic activists, including Pavel Marozau, one of the art exhibition organizers and ‘Third Way’ community leader; Orest Deychakiwsky, representative of the US Congress Helsinki Commission, Belarusian artists Ales’ Shaternik, Yalena Tylkina and Yahor Batalonak, Belarusan Museum of New York and Belarusan Youth Movement of America representatives.
According to Pavel Marozau, “Art Against Dictatorship” exhibition is a successful case of public diplomacy. “Meanwhile Belarusian government is unable to build reliable relations with the world’s leading country artists are able to reach minds and hearts of Americans. They present the best samples of Belarusian art and themselves represent those Belarusian citizens that are conscious about preserving national language and culture, democracy and human rights promotion in Belarus”, - Pavel Marozau said.
Some 40 paintings and graphic sheets of eleven artists are exposed, namely of Ales’ Pushkin, Ales’ Shaternik, Aliaksei Marachkin, Yahor Batalonik, Henadz’ Drazdou, Mikola Kupava, Yuliya Shaternik, Yury Platonau, Yanka Ramanovitch, Yalena Tylkina, and Siarhei Arden. Ales’ Shaternik’s sculptural compositions are also displayed, including busts of a number prominent Belarusians, including Tadeush Kasicushka, Efrasinnia Polackaya and Vasil’ Bykau. The main subject of many artistic works is Belarus and its historical and cultural heritage.
Congress of New Belarusian Diaspora of Europe and the US, “Third Way” community and Belarusian Museum of New-York organized the exhibition. It was supported by George Marshall Foundation and Helsinki Commission of the US Congress.
“Art against dictatorship” has been exposed in Europe and USA since 2008. It was hosted in Estonia, Norway and United States. Organizers plan to continue display of the exhibition in 2010 in art museums of the US and South Europe. They also intent to start a new project to popularize Belarusian art in the West, with the best samples of Belarusian art, music and art performance.
