Tetyana Khomutovska

Hanna Vershynina

Although mainly a cinematographer, Misha has developed a compelling style of street photography in his pursuit to understand and express something special about ordinary people. He carries a 35mm rangefinder camera, constantly poised to capture a suitable image. His first exhibition was at the Igor Gaidai Gallery where he presented the series The Last Train.

Today Misha presents selected handprints from three series: The Last Train, Backs, and Streetshots. The Last Train is a large collection of portraits of people riding Kyiv's last metro running through the city. Backs is an exploration of the private environment surrounding a person suspended in contemplation. Streetshots is a collection of images that explain, expose, or exemplify the nature of our world today.

Robert Jackson is a political economist working in Ukraine on questions concerning democratization and business development. He has lived in many parts of Europe, including Sweden, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, England, and now Ukraine, and traveled through many more. From a political science perspective, his main interests lie in the relationship between external influence and the consolidation of democratic institutions. Robert has studied in depth many societies in economic transition under significant influence from border hegemonies.

Robert's work in photography spans many genres and styles, including landscape and portraiture, but he mainly uses imagery as a visual tool for explaining non-visual concepts. In one exhibition, he displayed pictures from the Balkans of modern people living at the same location as ancient ruins, suggestive of a social continuum between various peoples throughout time.

Today Robert presents a series of handprints called Ruination. In these images taken around Ukraine, he explores the relationship between realistic and symbolic ways of understanding ruins. A realistic view, he argues, indicates material evidence of humanity encapsulated in space in time, whereas a symbolic view intimates romanticized values and a discourse of historical legacy. To synthesize these two views into a single image, Robert designed a pinhole camera, viz. camera obscura dating from the Roman Era, with very long exposures and an extremely wide angle of view, along with many other essential differences from traditional photography. As such, his images capture an atmosphere of time, of motion, of life, even in stationary stones, otherwise inaccessible.

Kateryna Kudriavtseva's works

A BREW OF WITCH DOLLS

Baba Yaga [Witch] figures among the most renowned negative heroines of Ukrainian and Slavic folklore. This old hag lives deep in the forest in a hut resting on chicken limbs, often with Olenka the Snake (the witch's daughter or granddaughter). Baba Yaga flies on a broom and devours small children. She also relishes poisonous mushrooms, which she not only eats herself but also eagerly offers to her guests.	Dereviana Baba [Wooden Hag] is less well known, although equally unpleasant. She prefers thick forests and lives in tree hollows. She eats branches and brush, and chews bark. Meeting her promises nothing good.	Znakharka [Sorceress] is a useful being and resides among people — often on the edge of a village. An expert on herbs, she also heals animals and understands their language. Although not attractive, this elderly woman has a good and kind heart.
Vorozhka [Fortuneteller] is a somewhat younger single woman who lives among people and is able to predict their future. She assists people in figuring out difficult life predicaments by directing them towards a solution. Overall, she is perceived as a positive being.	Charivnytsia [Enchantress] is usually a woman of nondescript younger age. Her main mission is dealing with love issues, which girls and women have. She knows plants well, especially those with magical attributes.	Dolia [Fate] receives relatively little mention in folklore. She usually appears at life's crucial moments in the guise of a beautiful young woman dressed in white, who clarifies love and fate, and is perceived as a very positive figure.
Charodiika [Magician] is also a positive figure. She is middle aged and usually dresses in old worn-out yellow-golden clothes. Through magic she is able to sway one towards a good alternative and thereby avoid making a mistake or not discerning reality from imagination.	Bosorkania [Barefooted One] comes from the Zakarpattia mountain region. She is an expert on mushrooms and roots, knows the mountain terrain, and walks barefooted. Sometimes hikers may cause her harm. She is a neutral figure and, if in a good mood, even positive.	Molfarka [Wizard], a neutral figure, comes from the Carpathian Mountains. Her power lies in the ability to change weather: to start or stop rain, storm, wind, and snow. She tells fortunes to married women and provides other services on a fee scale.
Povitrulia [Flurry], also from Carpathian Mountains, is a poetic, lighthearted, flying entity and moves in air without touching the ground. She helps lovers resolve their love problems.

Exhibits

Born in the Rivne region. In 1983 graduated from Rivne Pedagogical Institute, majored in philology. In 1990 graduated from Kyiv Institute of Journalism, majored in photo journalism. Since 1983 worked in photojournalism; member of National Union of Journalists of Ukraine since 1986. Worked in regional and national press such as: correspondent of Rivne youth newspaper Zmina, editor of newspaper Rivne; freelance correspondent for Kyiv weekly Pryvatna Sprava, Kyiv newspaper Zakon i byznes, national journal Ukraina. Anatolii Mizernyi's reports and photographs are in local, national and international publications. His personal photo exhibits include: "Trees are dying standing" (1986), "Before memory dims" (1988), "Vorkuta Camp: barbed wire wraps the soul" (1989), "Photoexprompts" (1997), "The golden hues of the ancient town of Korets" (2000), "Around the town of Berestechko" (2004), "The multiple faces of frost" (2004), "A moment transcends eternity " (2005), "MizAnScenes" (2006), "Images" (2007). Participates in national and international group exhibitions and competitions. In 1994 founded an agency, "M and Co." This agency prepares and distributes photos to the press, produces calendars, postcards, booklets and photo albums. Illustrated the Rivne region in exhibits: "Ukraine: five years of independence," "Agro '99," "Ukraine: a step into the new millennium." Author of numerous photo calendars, postcards, booklets, catalogues and posters. In 1997 published a photo album Rivnenshchyna [The Rivne Region], which was awarded the first diploma in recognition of being one of the best photo publications in Ukraine. Photo author of the album I myt i vichnist prorostaie [A Moment Transcends Eternity] dedicated to the 25th Anniversary of Rivne Atomic Station (1998). Published tourist guidebooks, among them: Rivne Region Invites, Berestechko Battle Site, Town of Ostroh, Netishyn, Ostroh Academy Campus, Museum Treasures. 1990 Laureate of the Borys Ten Rivne Region Literary-Art Award for photographic popularization of folk heritage. Works in various genres, above all in landscape, architecture, photoreporting, portrait, theater, advertisement. Photographs with Nikon, Minolta, Mamica cameras. Has his own studio. Lighting by Bowens. 33028, Rivne, Teatralna Ploshcha1, Suite 329 tel/fax (0362) 26-36-31 Mob. Tel. 8-067-362-2156 e-mail: mizerny@ukrwest.net

TANIA Ì. D'AVIGNON
PHOTOGRAPHER

E-ÌAIL: taniafoto@netscape.net
taniafoto@yahoo.com

Tania Ì. D' Àvignon is à freelance photographer living in Newton, Massachusetts, USA and part time in Kyiv, Ukraine. She graduated from Maryland Institute, College of Art, in Baltimore, Maryland with à degree in photography. In 1994 she was recognized and honored as an Outstanding Alumni of Maryland Institute.

Her photography experience includes: Allyn and Bacon Publishers, Boston; D.C. Heath Publications, Boston; World Book Encyclopedia, Chicago; TIÌE Publications, Singapore; Harvard University, Cambridge; National Geographic Magazine, Washington, DC, 1986-93; Alternative Publications, Spalakh Publications, and Dovzhenko Film Studio in Kyiv, Ukraine. Her work has been published in hundreds of books, magazines and newspapers. She also produced a series of calendars. Tania's photography has been shown at more than 50 personal and international exhibits.

In 1998 she published Simply Ukraine, an album of photographs from her numerous trips to Ukraine spanning some 25 years. In 2001 Tania was à såmi-finàlist for the Shevchenko Prize in photojournalism. As à Fulbright Scholar to Ukraine (2002-03) in photojournalism, she documented Ukrainian women in transition. Currently she is preparing several books on: “Landscapes of Ukraine,” “Ukrainian Women,” and “Runaways.” Photographs shown in this exhibit are à small fraction of her “Ukrainian Women” project.

9.02 — 9.03
OKSANA TSYUPA
Lyalechky-Hulyalechky

OKSANA TSYUPA, born in l967 in Kyiv, graduated from Kyiv Technological Institute of Light Industry, specializing in Decorative Clothing in 1992. She was a costume designer for the Kyiv Oleksandr Dovzhenko Film Studio. She has done decorative ceramics, glass painting, patchwork, and book cover designs (Smoloskyp Publishers).

Since 2000, the artist has focused on textile dolls. In Kyiv personal exhibits of these dolls were held in Dim Mykoly (2001) and in Klovsk Lyceum 2003).

Many of her one-of-a-kind dolls are in private collections in Ukraine, Europe and Unites States.

Uniqueness exemplifies an artistically created textile doll. It embodies the artist's expression of aesthetics through the doll's character, style, and material.

Oksana Tsyupa's dolls are mostly soft, made out of fabric or papierm?ch?. Their relatively small size is more related to miniatures, reminiscent of unexplainable charm and refined details.

They simply need to be looked at. Inadvertently they evoke a gentle caress from the onlooker since they are soft and made with love. Adult toys for grown-ups…

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