olechko

I already wrote of Pinchuk Art Center, Zeh, and RA Gallery. Those and a few more are the galleries to watch for local European-quality art in Kyiv.

The few more galleries that I would like to explore more are KyivFineArt (it’s quite new), Bereznytsky gallery (it’s quite off the way for me but will make the effort) and the Center of Modern Art at NaUKMA. The latter I visited a couple of times, but every time it’s been really angry and edgy installations uninspiring to write about. They brought to us the recent World Press Photo exhibit and the notorious R.E.P group of artists. And finally a couple of old-school galleries on Andriyivsky uzviz are very much worth a visit.

And now the Mystetskyi Arsenal by Lavra unexpectedly opens with a show of a Ukrainian-American artist personal exhibit. We’ll see soon if the space gains the profile high enough to join the above mentioned galleries.

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Pinchuk Art Center - 1-3/2 Baseyna St.

RA Gallery -32 B. Khmelnytskogo St.

Zeh - 16 Illijnska St.

Kyiv Fine Art - 12 W. Zhytomyrska St.

Bereznytskyi Gallery - 22 Rybalska St.

Modern Art Center at NaUKMA - 2 Skovorody Sq.

It’s too cold to get out to see anything new today, so this post is about a small town Ostrog in Rivnenska oblast that I visited last year. The main attraction there are the ruins of XV Century Ostrogski family castle and a Mezhyrich monastery on the outskirts. The castle includes Trinity church and several towers that still remain (New tower on the pic).

Also, there is a nationally renowned school in town - Ostrog Academy - situated on the grounds of XVIII Century Capuchin monastery. First published Bible in eastern orthodoxy came out here in XVI Century.

Mezhyrich monastery is also fortified with great walls around. It opens to the view across a pond, as you leave Ostrog on top of the hill, surrounded by a village. The monks there are pretty stickt, hold pieces of at cloth at the entrance for those harpless women, who fail to show up in long skirts and headscarfs to wrap you properly before entering the church.

Inside the church interior is touched by darkness and time. It holds a great chandalier and a wonderful icon with Mary and child in the right hand corner. Even if you try really hard to look as if you are visiting the church to pray, the monks spot a tourist in you right away and approach you with an appropriate lecture. They care less if you speak no Ukrainian (as it was in my husband’s case) and get their message across with menathing intonation and the length of speech.

This week I am sticking around my hometown meanwhile my parents decided to commission a painting on a very pertinent subject of beekeeping. So we came over to a studio of a local artist Svitlana Kostukevych with some home-made honey and all. And found a whole lot of artists’ studios, gallery, art supplies shop, antiques, plus a children’s art school - all crammed in the same building. How convenient!

Most of the artists represented here are of Lviv school ( vs. the Kyiv school). As per Kostukevych explanation, the Lviv trainees tend to express themselves more free, abstract and imaginative, while the Kyevites stick to traditional ways of laying a stroke. Below I am putting out some pictures of paintings snapped from a brochure to give you an idea of the choices available. Some of them I know ever since art school, others (like Yuriev) are new to me.

Yuryev

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Rusanovych

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Two days ago I took a flight from Milan to Kyiv and had some time to spare on observing my compatriots getting ready to board. First thing that stuck out in observation process was their shopping habits. Usually everybody gets stocked up while still in town. Therefore the over-sized suitcases at the check-in. And let’s not forget the shiny wrapping plastic film that help holding up those bursting suitcases.

Then come the duty-free shops. Desperation gets out at this stage and most exiting things get carried on the plane in the clear sealed plastic bags. And lastly, the duty free shopping from catalogue on the plane. I thought they are there for the in-flight entertainment. But no! As we were giggling about the items on the list, my neighbor promptly made a request to buy something from it.

Irony aside, I love to shop every time I am abroad. This time I was coming back with one more garment bag, securely wrapped at the airport in bright acid green plastic and our carry-on luggage full of duty-free food goodies. God save us from the catalogues.

An excellent publishing house, making books for kids from 2 to 102. Most of their books are true pieces of art and come mostly in Ukrainian. And even an old-time classic “Night Before Christmas” by Mykola Gogol came out in translation/adaptation by Maksym Rylsky. In my mind the translation missed some particularly juicy parts that Russian version carried… Although I am a big Ukrainophile, this seemed to be a bit much. The book was illustrated by celebrated Kost Lavro. Any of his books is a must-have souvenir from Ukraine.

Another beautiful publication of theirs - Anderson’s “Snow Queen” - won awards for best design (pic on the left). Lately I got “Lisa and Her Dreams” - a book tailored to Gapchinska work (a notorious Kyiv artist that I should write more about in a separate post), written by the publishing house owner - Ivan Malkovich.

…are so-so good!!! The traditional cakes seem to have stuck around. Roshen has bought up some of the specialty cake bakeries (and cheapened the ingredients, brr). But others, like the old trusty Kyiv city bakery (supplies to most supermarkets) makes the best “Kyiv”, “Prague”, “Truffle” ever!! Those three are all-time classics and serve for a perfect guest treat/indulgent breakfast afterwards.

The Kyiv cake requires an aquired taste to enjoy it. It’s dry, based on ?bize flour, full of nuts and heaviest cream topping :). It comes in special chestnut-leaf themed box (chestnut must be on city coat of arms or sth like that, its blossoms here are as big as cherry blossoms in D.C… and Japan, wher they-cherry trees - came from).

My friend who was in Peace Corps at the time set her mind on opening a Ukrainian Cake backery in the States upon her return. This is something that Europeans are so used to and what the US really lacks. I hope she fared well but D.C. still does not have a restaurant with a decent dessert menu (well, as of six months ago since I’ve been there last).

We came there for late dinner so camera-phone photos turned no good. So, here’s one from the restaurant’s website. This white-linen place sits on 8th floor above Lvivska square and overlooks the Pushkinska street, up to Premier Palace. The view is breathtaking. The regulars are beautiful people. One girl brought there an accessory/dog so small, Paris Hilton would’ve been jealous had she seen it. I just did not get why the native indians’ portraits on the walls.

Pushkinska str. 42/2

… is no more. An advantage of growing older - is getting to appreciate the good things in life that passed. For instance, basic daily bread - I remember sinking my teeth into a warm loaf, biting on the crusty, burned side, mmm. The trucks would deliver the bread to the stores still warm.  Way back then the bread came in bricks, less often - in round shapes, black or white. The dessert bread would be the baton.  Everything else was pastry.

These days the supermarket stalls are terribly disappointing.  They offer shrink-wrapped goods, or even worse - sliced! (I have nothing against my bread sliced, it just goes against logic that it is fresh at the same time). The good old bricks disappeared for some reason. More foreign options are offered - pumpernickel, baguette, olive bread - not in their best executions though.  At Furshet at Mandarin Plaza I was sold a totally stale loaf of Italian bread.  At local Silpo or Velyka Kyshenia (by Peremogy square) I don’t even look at the bakery stalls.

As a relief to town came Volkonsky backery. (it is also a relief for your vallet, becuase the prices are hiiiigh). Their breads are amazing, Italian and French varieties mostly, also tons of amazing pastry. They have a coffee shop adjourning with warm creamy interior.   Another runner up is Viennese Buns (Videnski Bulochky) on Pushkinska. Make sure to ask what is fresh at the moment; unlike at Volkonsky, they do sell some goods on the second day.

One point on an artist’s view of local bread. Gaydar -commercial studio photographer from Kyiv - recently came up with a series on the subject. His loafs came out of all kinds in different shapes and colors - suspended in black space. I searched for the images online but no more, seems like the only place you’d see them is at his studio on Prorizna. It’s no big spectacle, but give it a try. Also, it’s the only art gallery that charges entry fee that I know in Kyiv, sniff.

(The pic features my breakfast today.  This brick was super small and long, but full of nuts, plus banana-nutella, yam!)