French photo view on Ukrainians
A month of photography has started in Kyiv. Its fashionable title, Photo Biennale 2003, is in the mainstream of the European popular orientation. However, there is another explanation: participants of the numerous exhibitions represent not only Ukraine but also the near and far abroad. The fourth event of the project presents Cyril Khorishny (France). The Ukraine Out of Time exhibition (a French view on Ukrainians) is displayed at the Kyiv French Culture Center. Recall that Den’/The Day also holds its own annual photo contest (conditions in The Day, No. 8, March 4, 2003). The New Day: Light and Shadows exhibition of the best works of the previous, fourth contest, was presented at the Ukrainian House (Kyiv) and also in Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, and Donetsk. We will continue to inform you of the new displays of the best works by Ukrainian photo journalists.
Let us note that Cyril is of partly Ukrainian parentage, and if it had not been for his melodious French speech and fashionable suit, one would never recognize him as a foreigner among the crowd on, say, Khreshchatyk. The photographer is very young, but he already has his own view of the world. In Cyril’s words, he spent all last year in Ukraine. The results of his observations of our life can be seen at the exhibition. The photographer says, “Previously my idea of Ukraine was idealistic and romantic: the hopak dance and varenyky. When I came here, I discovered with sadness that in the years of independence the conditions of life did not improve for the people... In today’s Ukraine I saw the France of the 1950s. I have never felt such inspiration as I did in Ukraine. Here I have made every young photo artist’s dream come true.” Before coming to Ukraine, Cyril familiarized himself with our country’s history, and thus his personal experience became a supplement to his knowledge. He considers the streets the main scene for his art.
The works presented at the exhibition confirm Cyril’s words. Carrying on the glorious traditions of French photo artists, he works in black-and-white. His pictures reproduce the spectator’s pain and embarrassment, because outcasts are the main heroes in his work.
Most of the photographs were taken in Lviv. Recall that this city’s historical center is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Lviv possesses a European charm which attracts people, making them fall in love with it forever. Acrobatics depicts a merry jumper against the background of a kitsch wall bearing Soviet and German posters from the interwar period. With Loneliness things are quite the opposite: a child is lost in a narrow yard between old stone houses. An Ordinary Street can be seen in Lviv as well as Krakow, Prague, or Paris. Lovers in Odesa is a play with contrasts: sunlight and the shapes of buildings, the loving couple and the road... Some photos are quite trivial from our viewpoint, but for a “French view” they certainly have some specific coloring: Cyclist in Buska, Lviv Kobzar, or Hutsul Children.
