Artworks by Aka and Christina Pereyma on view at University of Dayton (07/04/04)

Artworks by Aka and Christina Pereyma on view at University of Dayton

DAYTON, Ohio - A colorful, eclectic exhibit of some 50 works by Aka Pereyma, as well as artwork by her daughter Christina Pereyma, is on view at the University of Dayton in the Marian Library gallery June 7 through August 6, in a show titled "Messengers from God."

Most of the pieces on exhibit were created by Aka Pereyma. The artist works in a wide variety of media - sculpture, painting, decorative ceramics and drawings - that draw on Ukrainian folk art as a symbolic form.

Among work in the exhibit contributed by Christina Pereyma are four pieces made from fragile flower petals in works ranging from a crown of thorns to the wings of Icarus. Christina Pereyma's work references themes of gender, time, mythology and nature.

Aka Pereyma draws inspiration for her work from the traditions and artistic expressions of her Ukrainian heritage. In the words of the artist, "From the beginning of my life I have been influenced by Ukrainian folklore and am thoroughly enchanted by it. All of my creativity is steeped in this Ukrainian character, its specific individuality, mystery. ... Often, when I admire the color intensity and the composition in contemporary art of the Western world, I come to the conclusion that I have seen it before - in Ukrainian Easter eggs, icons, embroideries and pottery. In Ukrainian folk art I can also see the elements of Cubism, Op-Art, Minimalism and other modern art movements."

Aka Pereyma's art is "generated by the power of nature, just as the very rhythms of nature defined the visual expression of Ukraine's ancient culture as represented on vessels, monolithic pre-Christian sculpture, ritualistic objects, including always the simplest source of restorative symbolism - the decorated egg (pysanka)." Religious and Christian motifs are naturally complementary in the artist's nature inspired art.

Much of the work forming part of this particular exhibition focuses on birds, as rendered in colorful paintings and metal sculptures. In the words of the artist: "...The bird is a symbol of greatest power. It represents the highest of the three parts of the Tree of Life, a mythological image that, through the centuries, was a model of the universe. The bird was regarded as a carrier of the golden keys to open the universe, given to him by the Sun god in the spring. The bird was considered a messenger from the world of the living, a messenger from God." According to Ukrainian legend, "birds were thought to fly up to heaven and spend the winter with God. In the spring they return with eggs, new life and blessings from God."

While birds as a whole are symbolic, each individual bird holds specific symbolism. Predominant in the artist's iconography are cranes, storks, cuckoos and doves.

Aka Pereyma was born in 1927 in Siedice, Poland, moved with her family to Ukraine in 1939, and came to the United States as a post-war refugee in 1959. Her formal art studies were at the School of Art Institute of Chicago, the Dayton Art Institute and the Hobart School of Welding Technology. She has been exhibiting her work for nearly 40 years, including in exhibitions in cities throughout Ukraine.

Aka Pereyma's work is in collections in the United States, Canada and Ukraine. She is recognized as a Merited Artist of Ukraine by the Ukrainian government, and holds a place of honor in her hometown in the Troy Hall of Fame. In 2003 she received the Ohio Heritage Fellowship from the Ohio Arts Council/Ohio Folk Arts Network.

The artist creates work in nine "stations" on the family's nearly 400-acre farm in Troy, Ohio.

According to an article about Christina Pereyma for the Dayton Art Institute in her work the artist "explores the ephemeral nature of organic matter through her use of delicate materials such as eggshells, beeswax and flower petals. These objects are incorporated into textiles, costumes, hats and sculptures, which she documents in narrative color photographs. Her artistic production consists of fragile, non-functional garments, iconic textiles and poetic sculptures that she continually preserves through restoration and documentation. Gender, time, mythology, and nature are all themes present in her work."

Christina Pereyma's work "Crown of Thorns" references the themes of birth, suffering and death. The flowers used to create the mats are from those used at St. Patrick's Christmas mass. They are used in the work, according to the artists, as a symbol of Christ's birth. The thorns were collected by a group of women in the woods on the Pereyma property with the gathering having served as a bonding ritual. The crown of thorns symbolizes the suffering and death of Christ on the cross as well as, on a different level, the death of vegetation and natural life.

The "Messengers from God" exhibition is hosted by The Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute at the University of Dayton. The exhibition is on view in the Marian Library gallery, located on the seventh floor of Roesch Library; the gallery is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. The exhibit is free and open to the public. For additional information call (937) 229-4214.

For general information and images of the paintings and artwork on exhibit, visit the library's webpage at http://www.udayton.edu/mary/current-exhibit.

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