| Biruchiy contemporary art project | |
| Logo Alt: | Biruchiy contemporary art project |
| Status: | active |
| Genre: | contemporary art |
| Frequency: | annually (May, September) |
| Venue: | Zolotiy Bereg |
| Location: | Byriuchyi Island, Sea of Azov |
| Country: |  Ukraine |
| Founder Name: | Association of Contemporary Art Researchers |
| Participants: | 64 (2014) |
Biruchiy contemporary art project (uk|Міжнародний симпозіум сучасного мистецтва «Бірючий» pronounced as /uk/) is a leading residence of contemporary art in Ukraine.[1] It was founded in 2006 by the Association of Contemporary Art Researchers. The project is held annually in May and September on the Byriuchyi Island, located in the Sea of Azov.[2] Since 2016, offsite residences have been operating in other European countries (Poland, 2016–2017, 2023;[3] Montenegro, 2019).[4] 17 seasons of Biruchiy contemporary art project were attended by 240 artists and 13 art groups from 21 countries. A part of participants goes to Italy (2014–2017),[5] United States (2017–2018).[6]
Ukraine. The Ukrainian initiative of the beginning of the 21st century was founded by the art production manager Gennadiy Kozub and the artist . In 2006, it was decided to declare Zaporizhia Oblast to be an art territory. Byriuchyi Island (Zolotiy Bereg recreation centre),[7] which is far away from civilization, was chosen to be the project residency. Artists came to Byriuchyi for two weeks in September. Since 2014, two-week gatherings have been held also in May.[8]
Biruchiy 009 holds an outdoor concert performed by the French cellist and composer Dominique de Williencourt.[9] Biruchiy M Sound Lab was launched at Biruchiy 012 (DJ Sokolov, DJ Mishukov, DJ Expert, /, DJ Derbastler). Within the framework of Biruchiy 013, for the first time not only paintings and art objects but also contemporary sculpture was created. During Biruchiy 014, it was decided to change its format by creating an experimental platform for several curators. Due to the hostilities, it was possible to hold only three out of six scheduled curator projects; they were later combined into one big project.[10]
In 2015, the Open Group carried out an international performative project "1000-km view". Riding a catamaran, the participants covered 1000-km distance of "Open Gallery Ukraine — the Netherlands" from the Stryi River to Byriuchyi Island. The new project of Biruchiy was developed as collaboration between curator Irina Leifer (Amsterdam) and Mariya Lanko and Lyzaveta German's team (Kyiv), Open Art Route Zuidoost (Amsterdam) within Tandem Ukraine program (an initiative of the European Cultural Foundation and German non-governmental organization MitOst).[11]
In 2016, the main residence got modern exposition space. The final exposition of Biruchiy 016 was demonstrated in a new gallery designed like an ancient Greek temple. Its musical component has gained an independent format. An experimental ethno-electronic festival called Biruchiy Fest was held in 16–18 September 2016. Among participating bands and performers, there were , Sun Groove, and Dub Wire. The British Council introduced an arts exchange program, called "SWAP: UK/Ukraine artist residence programme",[12] between United Kingdom and Ukraine; the first item of the program was on the residence on Byriuchyi Island.[13] The British artist Jamie Fitzpatrick, chosen by the program, joined the participants.[14]
In September 2017, about 30 participants of the project organized a voluntary environmental initiative. The volunteers comprised artists from Ukraine, Russia, Italy and Germany, art critic, curators and guests of the residency. The volunteers cleaned up trash left by tourists, from a 10-km area of the seashore near the Azov-Syvash National Nature Park (from to Byriuchyi Island spit).[15]
The Coloring project, introduced in May 2018, brought together 60 artists. Each participant was given a coloring album with 12 outline views of the residency. Coloring pages project is designed as an interactive semi-finished product, which invites participants to put familiar landscapes in color not spending time on their layout.[16]
Italy. In 2013, RESÒ Lab was initiated in collaboration with RESÒ International Network for Artist Residencies and Educational Programs in Piedmont (Italy). It is a long-term participant exchange project between Biruchiy[17] and leading Italian art foundations.[18] In RESÒ Lab residencies, artists for a few weeks get acquainted with the local art stage. The exchange is both bilateral and unilateral.[19]
In 2013, Byriuchyi Island was visited by Sotheby's representatives, who purchased several painters' works. The residency was also visited by Massimo Melotti, an external relations specialist from Castle of Rivoli museum of contemporary art (Turin, Italy).[20] In 2014, due to the war in Eastern Ukraine, RESÒ delayed Italian artists' coming to Byriuchyi Island. Nevertheless, in November 2014, , Ivan Svitlychniy and the curator Sergiy Kantsedal invited by RESÒ, visited the residency of Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto (Biella, Italy).[21]
In autumn 2015, RESÒ sent to Byriuchyi Island a delegation of artists from Italy, headed by Massimo Melotti. Byriuchyi became the filming location for a film by Italian film directors , who arrived at the Island immediately after participating in Venice International Film Festival. One of the participants of Biruchiy 016 was the Italian film director and artist Giorgio Cugno. He shot here the fourth part of the film "XAU" with the actor in the lead role. The previous parts of the film were shot in Colombia, Egypt and the USA.[22]
In the autumn of 2017, the Italian artist Franco Ariaudo arrived in Byriuchyi Island. Elaborating upon the theme of the September residence "Running on water...", he started working on a long-term project titled "Basilisk" — a set of events to study techniques of running on water.[23] Franco Ariaudo proceeded with the Basilisk project already in Italy (Turin and Rome) and published a limited edition book "Basilisk or how to run on water" in three languages (Italian, English and Russian). This is a rare case of a separate book dedicated to a single author's art project.
In October–November 2017, members of Biruchiy project Alina Yakubenko and Oleksiy Say visited the residency Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto.[24] Biruchiy 018 was held through the help of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Kyiv. The 13th season of the project centers around artistic comprehension of ritual practices of neoshamanism.[25] The event was visited by Cecilia Guida, PhD and Professor of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna (Bologna, Italy).
Ukraine. 19 July 2015 is the starting point of an art intervention of Biruchiy contemporary art project, which expanded the geography of its residence. The first art delegation was welcomed by Irshansk (Zhytomyr Oblast), where a two-week project "Irshansk. Recreation" was carried out. The exposition embraced the urban space and natural landscapes. The project is aimed at promoting cultural decentralization of the country — making the culture creating space go out beyond large centers, to medium-sized cities and small towns.[26]
Poland. On 27 June 2016, the geography of Biruchiy project extended to Poland. An offsite residence was created in Klementowice, Lublin Voivodeship, on the basis of the M. Ratay Complex of Agribusiness Schools. For 2 weeks, 14 artists creatively worked on the project "From the common root" (pol. pl|Od wspólnego korzenia). Its concept is based on the metaphorical meaning of the word "root" — the fundamental principle, basic constituent of the structure — and it is an artistic response to manipulations in reconsidering the history of the two countries. The project was held under the patronage of the Embassy of Ukraine in Poland.[27]
An educational event, called Biruchiy Art School, was held in Klementowice in January 2017 with the participation of students and young artists. The program included a series of lectures and practical work in workshops.[28] The Polish land artist visited the residence to give a lecture.
United States. In 2017, Biruchiy contemporary art project started cooperating with Flux Factory's artist-in-residence program (Long Island City, NYC). It is a platform, created in the 1990s by seven young Brooklyn artists as an alternative to commercial galleries. Within the framework of an exchange program, a couple of artists — Mykyta Kravtsov and his wife, Camille Sagnes Kravtsova, came to New York City.[29] After several months of work, their personal exhibition "Armageddon" was presented in the exhibition space of Flux Factory.[30]
In 2018, according to the exchange program between Flux Factory and Biruchiy project, Anton Lapov came to New York City. The artist realized the 3-hour radio walk "Queens Semantic Ghosts" and audiovisual performance "lap0fvw".[31]
Montenegro. On 17 June 2019, an offsite residence started in the mountain town of , located in the Bay of Kotor (the Adriatic Sea). The project is a joint initiative of Biruchiy contemporary art project and the Exodus social club.[32] During three weeks, 19 artists and art critics from 5 countries worked on the theme of Exodus led by curator Kostyantyn Doroshenko. The concept is understood in its biblical meaning, "Exodus" — the transition through challenges to a decent and harmonius life.[33] The reporting exhibition supported by the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, was held in the halls of the National Museum of Montenegro in Cetinje. The opening took place with the participation of the Embassy of Ukraine in Montenegro.[34] 7 other artists from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia submitted their works for the exhibition. The event was largely covered by the country's leading broadcasting companies: RTCG,[35] TV Vijesti,[36] Prva Srpska Televizija, TV 777, Radio Television Cetinje.[37]
Ukraine. On 19–31 May 2021, the Hava Nagila project (he|הבה נגילה) was implemented in the historic town of Sharhorod, in Vinnytsia Oblast. The event was attended by 17 artists. Different cultures, languages and traditions intersect in the town, creating a whimsical architectural weaving, which formed the basis of the concept. The video mapping was accompanied by a DJ set by the Kyiv musician Oleg Sokolov. The project took place on the territory of .[38]
Ukraine, curator Kostyantyn Doroshenko. On 4 September 2021, a project titled Time Not Lost started in Prymorsk, Zaporizhia Oblast (the historical name of the city is Nogaysk). For two weeks, 20 artists from Ukraine, Belarus and Spain worked on the territory of the Rayduga tourist complex. The project was devoted to understanding how time is lost and whether it is lost at all, and how a time loop works. A multimedia exhibition of the participants' works, dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the city, was held on 17 September 2021, on the eve of the symposium closure.[39]
Ukraine. Despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine and active hostilities, the residency took place in June 2022. "Biruchiy Transcarpathia 022. Art war" brought together 40 artists from 10 countries (Ukraine, Italy, USA, Austria, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Czech Republic, Denmark, and Poland). The traditional location of the residency moved from the occupied Ukrainian south to , Zakarpattia Oblast. The artists considered their mission to be about drawing the world's attention to the ongoing war in Ukraine, with all the inhuman cruelty of war crimes committed there. Exhibitions of the participants' works were held in Oberhausen (Germany), and Warsaw (Poland).[40]
Poland. On May 3, 2023, a two-week project "Biruchiy Borowiec '433–447'" was initiated in the village of Andrzejów, Masovian Voivodeship. Artists from Ukraine, Poland, and the Czech Republic worked on the local context of the , reflecting on the common past of the countries, finding collective traumas, and fantasizing about their postwar future. "433-447" stands for the days of the full-scale war, during which the art residency was held. An exhibition based on the results of the project was held at the (Kazimierz Dolny, Poland).[41]
The "Ukrainian wartime posters" project has been launched since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is aimed at drawing the world's attention to Russia's military aggression against Ukraine. The project was initiated in March 2022 with a presentation of Ukrainian anti-war posters at Ogaki poster museum (Ōgaki, Japan).[42] Participants: Nastya Gaydaenko, Mykola Goncharov, Zakentiy Gorobyov, , Artem Gusev, Kateryna Lisova, Dariya Podoltseva, Oleksiy Say, Mykyta Shylimov, , Albina Yaloza; curator Olena Speranska. The posters were displayed during anti-war protests in New York: on August 7, 2022, in 9 locations in Manhattan; on October 15, 2022, at the Statue of Liberty (involving , Consul General of Ukraine in New York); on December 17, 2022, in Times Square.
In September 2022, an exhibition tour started on both sides of the Atlantic. Exhibitions in the United States were held across the continent from east to west: at Blue Gallery (New York City),[43] Ent Center for the Arts (University of Colorado Colorado Springs), and the Museum of Tolerance (Los Angeles, along with a pre-premiere screening of the documentary "" by Yevgen Afineevsky). In the Old World, the posters were exhibited at 571 Oxford Road Gallery (Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom), the (Berlin; during the opening of the Ukrainian Institute's office), and the Berliner Theatertreffen theater festival.[44]
Since June 2022, a series of poster exhibitions in front-line Zaporizhzhia (Ukraine) has been launched in cooperation with the city tourist information center. The city streets featured 16 solo exhibitions: Oleksiy Say, Zakentiy Gorobyov, Mykyta Shylimov, Mykola Goncharov, Albina Yaloza, Oleksandr Grekhov, Dariya Podoltseva, Anton Logov, , Mykyta Tytov, Artem Gusev, Kateryna Lisova, Mykhaylo Skop, Oleksiy Revika, Oleg Gryshchenko, . An international exhibition "Art against war" was held in January–February 2023. In 50 posters, 10 artists from Europe expressed their thoughts on the war in Ukraine. The series of posters was created in the lithography workshop of Beaux-Arts de Paris. Before arriving in Zaporizhzhia, the series was displayed at the Palais de Tokyo and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.[45]
The word Biruchiy is a neologism, a modified version of the name of the Byriuchyi spit. The neologism was created in the 2000s by the founders of the project as a reflection of contemporary artists' creative approach to the word formation process.
The newly created brand "Biruchiy" is subject to copyright.
| Year | Title | Theme | Curators | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The 1st Biruchiy contemporary art project 006 | Landscape for a hero | ||
| 2007 | The 2nd Biruchiy contemporary art project 007 | Hippies exist | Volodymyr Gulich | |
| 2008 | The 3rd Biruchiy contemporary art project 008 | Who are you? | Volodymyr Gulich | |
| 2009 | The 4th Biruchiy contemporary art project 009 | As an alternative | Volodymyr Gulich | |
| 2010 | The 5th season of Biruchiy contemporary art project 010 | A new person | Volodymyr Gulich | |
| 2011 | The 6th season of Biruchiy contemporary art project 011 | Biruchiy variations | — | |
| 2012 | The 7th season of Biruchiy contemporary art project 012 | The fourth dimension | Mariya Khrushchak | |
| 2013 | The 8th season of Biruchiy contemporary art project 013 | The habitable zone | Sergiy Kantsedal, Nataliya Matsenko | |
| 2014 | The 9th season of Biruchiy contemporary art project 014 | Biruchiy 8,5 No title | , Volodymyr Gulich, Sergiy Kantsedal, Nataliya Matsenko | |
| 2015 | The 10th season of Biruchiy contemporary art project 015 | EcoBiruchiy Biruchiy 10×15 | Lyzaveta German, Mariya Lanko, Irina Leifer, Nataliya Matsenko, Massimo Melotti, Yanina Prudenko | |
| 2016 | The 11th season of Biruchiy contemporary art project 016 | No title | Sergiy Bratkov, Lelya Goldsteyn, Sergiy Kantsedal, Mariya Khrushchak | |
| 2017 | The 12th season of Biruchiy contemporary art project 017 | Biruchiy May 017 Run on the water... | Sergiy Kantsedal, Nataliya Matsenko | |
| 2018 | The 13th season of Biruchiy contemporary art project 018 | Biruchiy 018 or Neoshamanism. Ritual power | Nataliya Filonenko |
Project commissioner Gennadiy Kozub (since 2006). Project coordinator Olena Speranska (since 2016).
| Year | Country | City | Theme | Curators | Commissioner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Irshansk. Recreation | Nataliya Matsenko | Gennadiy Kozub | |||
| 2016 | From the common root | Nataliya Matsenko | Gennadiy Kozub | |||
| 2017 | Klementowice | Biruchiy Art School | Lelya Goldsteyn, Mariya Khrushchak | Gennadiy Kozub | ||
| 2019 | The 14th season of Biruchiy contemporary art project 019 Exodus. Biruchiy 019. Montenegro | Petar Ćuković[46] | ||||
| 2021 | Hava Nagila | Gennadiy Kozub | ||||
| 2021 | The 15th season of Biruchiy contemporary art project 021 Time not lost | Kostyantyn Doroshenko | Gennadiy Kozub | |||
| 2022 | The 16th season of Biruchiy contemporary art project 022 Biruchiy Transcarpathia 022. Art war | Gennadiy Kozub | ||||
| 2023 | The 17th season of Biruchiy contemporary art project 023 Biruchiy Borowiec "433-447" | Gennadiy Kozub |
Ukraine / 
Netherlands — Open Group (Vidkryta grupa) /Arthur van Beek, Yuri Biley, Jesper Buursinkk, Lyzaveta German, Sergiy Klepach, , Valeriy Kumanovsky, Mariya Lanko, Irina Leifer, Stanislav Turina, Anton Varga/ (Kyiv, Lviv, Amsterdam).
Australia — Jason Fidler (Brisbane).
Austria — Anna Ermolaeva, Scott Evans, Rita Novak (Vienna), Yulia Belyaeva (Linz).
Belarus — Sergey Kiryushchenko, Aleksey Kuzmich, Aleksey Lunyov (Minsk).
Bosnia and Herzegovina — (Sarajevo).
Canada — Nataliya Filonenko (Vancouver).
Czech Republic — Alice Nikitinová, Magdaléna Nováková, Jan Zdvořák (Prague), Pavla Nikitina, Jiří Pec (Brno).
Denmark — Sergiy Svyatchenko (Copenhagen).
France — Sandy Brishler, Mykyta Kravtsov, Camille Sagnes (Paris).
Germany — Mitya Churikov, Igor Zaidel (Berlin).
Israel — Vladimir Brodetsky (Tel Aviv).
Italy — Mariya Proshkovska (Bologna), Gabriele Abbruzzese (Catania), Cecilia Guida, Micol Roubini (Milan), Nadiya Polevych (Rome), Franco Ariaudo, Giorgio Cugno, Valerio Manghi, Nataliya Polunina, Alessandro Sciaraffa, (Turin).
Kazakhstan — Bulat Gelman (Almaty).
Montenegro — Vlatka Vujošević (Podgorica), Matviy Krylov (Herceg Novi).
Netherlands — Arthur van Beek, Jesper Buursinkk, Irina Leifer (Amsterdam).
Poland — Karolina Mełnicka, Stachu Szumski (Warsaw), Błażej Rusin (Poznań).
— , , , Yulia Gnirenko, Rada Ivanova, Boris Kashapov, [''{{ill|Arkady Nasonov|ru|Насонов, Аркадий Иванович}}'', Maximilian Roganov, ''{{ill|Yuri Shabelnikov|ru|Шабельников, Юрий Леонидович}}'', ''{{ill|PG artistic group|ru|ПГ (художественная группа)}}'' and artistic groups of the ''{{ill|Rodchenko Moscow School of Photography and Multimedia|ru|Московская школа фотографии и мультимедиа имени Родченко}}'' /Dariya Baribina, Anna Brandush, Yegor Fedorichev, Dmitry Fedorov, Svetlana Isayeva, Zinaida Isupova, Vadim Kolosov, Nataliya Kononova, Aleksandr Merekin, Ekaterina Muromtseva, Polina Muzyko, Dmitriy Starusev, Denis Tikhomirov, Oleg Ustinov, Andrew Zhandarov/ ([[Moscow]]), Tatiana Polyashchenko (Novorossiysk), Nataliya Yudina (Tomsk).
Spain — Xavier Escala, (Barcelona, Catalonia).
Switzerland — Ronald Ross.
United Kingdom — Jamie Fitzpatrick, Pavlo Kerestey (London).
United States — Clemens Poole (New York City), Mariya Pasichnyk (Scottsdale, Arizona).[47]
Expositions of Biruchiy works were held in Ukraine: in Zaporizhia (since 2006), Kyiv (since 2011), Koktebel (2013), Kharkiv (2014), Lviv (2018), Melitopol (2018, 2021), Khmelnytskyi (2019). Art events also take place in other countries: Montreal (Canada, 2013), Cetinje (Montenegro, 2019).[48] The project was presented at the contemporary art fair Artissima (Turin, Italy, 2017).[49]
Presentations of publications are held. Biruchiy project includes lectures and master classes by contemporary art stars, presentations of young artists' works, concerts and DJ sets.[50]
The catalogs of the project are regularly published (10 catalogues by 2019).
Biruchiy contemporary art magazine (certificate of incorporation KB 2104510845P dated 7 November 2014) was issued in 2014–2015. Published on a quarterly basis, 5 issues published. Its editor-in-chief is Gennadiy Kozub. It is a full-color periodical of 68–104 pages, published in Russian and Ukrainian, having a run of 5000 copies, covering contemporary art. The magazine published interviews and comments of renowned art critics, collectors and artists, reviews of exhibitions and projects.
3 CDs were released in 2012–2015. The CD, arranged by DJ Mishukov, included 11 music tracks from Biruchiy 012 (Biruchiy M Sound Lab). The first and the third releases of Cocktail Spirit by Oleg Sokolov and Sergiy Kodatsky also came out.[51]