Mykola Zhuravel's "Apiary" project opens at Zorya Fine Art gallery (11/06/05)

Mykola Zhuravel's "Apiary" project opens at Zorya Fine Art gallery

GREENWICH, Conn. - The exhibition "Apiary," a unique project by Ukrainian artist Mykola Zhuravel comprising sculpture, paintings and works on paper, opened at the Zorya Fine Art gallery on October 28, where it will be on view through December 1.

The exhibition draws upon the ancient principles of beekeeping to produce a wide-ranging project with highlight-detailed preparatory sketches, monumental paintings, photographs and mixed-media documents that track each step of the measured creation.

At the heart of the project is the iconic sculptural beehive. The meanings and messages swirl around the hive itself, a skillfully carved wooden structure. Mr. Zhuravel artistically re-interprets the beehive structure, choosing an organic, slightly tilted pyramidal form as opposed to the standard cubic hive structure favored by Petro Prokopovych, the 19th century Ukrainian scientist to whom the artist has dedicated the "Apiary" exhibition.

Mr. Zhuravel painstakingly layers, planes, carves, welds and, finally, ornaments with curving ribs and hatched lines that resemble primitive art. The "apiary" becomes a singular form, all the more striking in its voluminous context.

Mr. Zhuravel constructs his "Contemporary Beehive Sculpture" to attract and shelter honeybees, and his design makes possible the work's lyrical underlying raison d'être: its central role in the harmonious balance between man and the natural, undomesticated world. Bees inhabiting the apiary sculpture build a wax hive and produce honey. Once the bees are safely relocated, the remaining hive becomes an integral part of the sculpture, fusing art and nature. The spirit of the bees is the enduring facet of the sculpture.

"Apiary" is one of the most extensive and profound of Mr. Zhuravel's projects, a challenging visual proposal connecting art with nature. In the realm of contemporary art, Mr. Zhuravel's work redefines certain aspects of the avant-garde, particularly what is known as conceptual art. "Apiary" dramatically and poetically breaks new ground by connecting contemporary art with nature in a fresh, compelling manner.

Mr. Zhuravel graduated from the Kyiv State Arts Academy in 1989, just as the former Soviet Union was collapsing. The artist's family has raised bees for generations, and it is only natural that he adapted the occupation's gentle, hands-on vocabulary to express his concern for the environment and for the man-made structures and strictures that impose themselves on it.

The exhibition is curated by Sam Hunter, emeritus professor of Princeton University along with contributing curators Oleh Sydor-Hibelynda, senior research associate of the contemporary Art Research Institute, Kyiv Academy of Art, Ukraine, and Christian Gusewski, director of Gallery ARTÜ, Rünenberg, Switzerland.

The "Apiary" exhibition is accompanied by a fully-illustrated catalogue with a foreword by Prof. Hunter. The book contains full color illustrations of the works in the exhibition, as well as contributions by Messrs. Sydor-Hibelynda and Gusewski. It is published by Zorya Fine Art, LLC.

A short documentary offering an inside look into the preparatory and interactive stages of the project is featured at the gallery. The film is produced by InsiteMedia group of Kyiv, in collaboration with Zorya Fine Art.

A lecture series by Prof. Hunter is being held to supplement the exhibition; for further information call the gallery at the number listed below.

Zorya Fine Art specializes in contemporary art and 20th century masters. The gallery works with distinguished curators, art historians and art critics. Its strong curatorial direction and focus on the art of Ukraine contribute to bringing a new perspective to the art world, expanding the borders of public knowledge of contemporary art. The gallery director is Alexander Demko.

Zorya Fine Art is located at 38 E. Putnam Ave. Gallery hours are: Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m.- 7 p.m. and by appointment. For additional information call (203) 869-9898; e-mail info@zoryafineart.com or visit the gallery's website at www.zoryafineart.com.

| Home Page |