Ukrainian Month in Europe | Kaņepes Kultūras centrs
09-10.03.2023
Mariupol: Future in the Past | film screening (March 2, 2023, 19:00)
The screening and the discussion Mariupol: Future in the Past are dedicated to raising awareness of the city of Mariupol. russian troops surrounded the Ukrainian port city in the first days of the full-scale war and have been besieging it for 3 months. The developing and blossoming city now is largely destroyed, and many residential buildings are no longer habitable. Now the city is occupied.
On the 2nd of March, we will take a look into the diverse and intercultural history of this city, which was mainly unknown to many Europeans before the beginning of the war. The short films that are gonna be shown were directed by various Ukrainian filmmakers between 2016 and 2022: they tell stories of everyday life, dreams, and hopes about the future and the past, and realities of the war.
Anti-war posters | workshop (March 4, 2023, 11:30)
We will analyse the poster as a tool for speaking up, encouraging, engaging, and bringing attention to important issues, as well as its current use in Ukraine, especially during 2022. We will develop posters in application format, focusing on reflection on the last year of Ukrainian resistance. As the 8th of March is approaching, we will also focus on women’s role in the resistance and volunteering movements, women’s strength, and courage.
Workshop will be conducted by Daria Melnikova, visual artist from Berdyansk, graduated from Kharkiv art academy.
Ukrainian contemporary art. Top facts to know | lecture by Mariia Volina (March 11, 2023, 19:00)
Are you interested in exploring the contemporary art scene of Ukraine? Join us for an exciting lecture by Mariia Volina, Ukranian contemporary artist and art curator, who will introduce several prominent contemporary Ukrainian artists and their works.
The lecture will provide a glimpse into the culture of Ukraine, beyond the commonly known political issues. Discover interesting unknown facts about Ukrainian art and the contributions made by Ukrainian artists to world culture.
Program:
– Short history overview
– Stolen art.
– Prominent Ukrainian artists of nowadays.
– Examples of brilliant strategies, which allowed artists to become famous.
Mariia Volina is a representative of the Ukrainian gallery “Galerie Les Noms”, which has an extensive collection of over 1500 paintings of Ukrainian artists of the first tier. She has organized exhibitions of Ukrainian artists in prestigious venues such as the Marko Rothko Art Centre, the Small Guild, Art Museum Riga Bourse, and the EU House. Mariia Volina currently resides and works in Latvia.
The event is free of charge but donations to Ukrainian organisations and initiatives supporting communities at war are more than welcomed. We encourage you to take a look at a list of initiatives and funds which is available here. There will also be a donation box available on spot.
The event is part of Ukrainian Month in Europe program – a series of events, reflecting on changes brought to Ukrainian and international communities by unjustified Russia’s aggression, organised by Kaņepes Kultūras centrs.
Zine workshop (March 11, 2023, 11:30)
Led by Eugenia Khvalyun
In 2022, Ukrainians united for a common victory. This Saturday we propose to join together to create a joint zine (self-made magazine) with works about mutual support, solidarity and their significance for society during the war. It could be different art pieces, collages, drawings and even fabric that will be created within the workshop and later united in one zine.
We are hoping that the workshop and zine itself will become a platform of communication and understanding of what support is for people now, what they need and how they can help.
The workshop is designed for teenagers and adults, and will be conducted in Ukrainian, Russian, and English.
Partner of the event: National Library of Latvia
If not us then who? Movie screening + discussion (March 16, 2023 19:00)
2022 demonstrated one of the greatest examples of unity and solidarity. Thousands of volunteers created networks of resistance and support both in Europe and Ukraine.
That’s why on March 9th, we will dedicate the film evening to them – the volunteers who left their daily lives and worries to work in the de-occupied territories, and refugee centers, and who created volunteer initiatives. These will be documentary films created by Ukrainian directors. After the screening, we will discuss the volunteering movement in Riga, the experience of the Young Folks volunteering initiative, and the challenges and needs that volunteers are facing today.
The language of films: Ukrainian with English subtitles.
Disclamer: one of the films has scenes of profanity.
The language of discussion: Russian, English
Registration form: https://ej.uz/volunteermovies
The event is free of charge but donations to Ukrainian organisations and initiatives supporting communities at war are more than welcomed. We encourage you to take a look at a list of initiatives and funds which is available here. There will also be a donation box available on spot.
“The Art of Life: How to Combine Creativity with Civic Position” (March 17, 2023, 19:00)
Lecture by Daria Kalashnikova on the personal responsibility of a modern artist during the war
Daria Kalashnikova is a successful contemporary Ukrainian artist and writer. She was born in Luhansk, Ukraine where in 2013 became one of the co-organizers of the Euromaidan protests. Due to the occupation of Luhansk in 2014, she was forced to move to Kyiv and became an IDP (internally displaced person). In 2014-2015, Daria Kalashnikova worked as an adviser to the Minister of Information Policy of Ukraine, in 2014 she as a candidate, took part in Parliamentary elections in Ukraine.
In 2019-2020 Daria studied performance directing and script writing in Denmark.
Currently, she is going through her second war and since May 2022 resides in Latvia as a refugee where he is active in her artistic endeavors.
- In the lecture “The art of life. How to unite creativity with civil position” on the personal responsibility of a modern artist during the war Daria Kalashnikova will share:
successful strategies in organizing public creative events; - methods of finding professional contacts in international art community;
- success stories in finding financial resources for the projects;
- ways of transmitting messages via public communication and art projects;
- sources of inspiration;
- and Ukrainian Bravery.
Comics Workshop (March 18, 2023, 11:30)
Making comics is easy!
During this workshop, we will learn the technique of drawing comics and create our own on any topic – starting with the Ghost of Kyiv and ending with our own (fictional or real) story!
Jana Ribkina, a comic artist and illustrator residing in Riga, Latvia, will guide you through the process. The primary focus of her art is self-reflection, autobiography, and comedy. Besides drawing she also works with ceramics and tattooing.
Night of Ukrainian wartime poetry (March 23, 2023, 19:00)
Vechornytsi are an ancient Ukrainian parties, when young people gathered in someone’s house in the evening and spend time telling various stories, reading poems, etc. Poetry vechornytsi is an opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of modern Ukrainian poetry.
We invite you to readings of Ukrainian poetry about the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, written by authors who are currently fighting and volunteering in Ukraine and refugees living in Riga. The poems will be performed by the authors themselves and locals who are interested in Ukrainian culture and language.
This evening will help you to understand Ukrainian reality of the times of the Russian-Ukrainian war through poetry. You will learn the fate of poets who are now in Ukraine and are engaged in volunteering, are on the front lines, or have already died defending their homeland, those who are trying to help with everything they can while in the rear, writing and developing modern Ukrainian culture. After the readings, there will be an opportunity to chat with authors and performers, discuss poetry, feelings and learn about the life experiences of refugee poets who are currently in Riga.
Poetry vechornytsi are curated by Sofia Melnicova, a director from Kharkiv.
“When war will end?” (March 24, 2023, 18:00)
Carbon screening project
Since 2017, NGO “Carbon Art Residency” has been developing the art of new media in Ukraine. In 2022, “Carbon Art Residency” launched a manifesting art project WHEN WAR WILL END? Within the project, they have held more than 20 events in three countries and collected video artworks of more than 30 artists. The project aims to artistically document and reflect on war-related events.
WHEN WAR WILL END program:
18:00 screening of selected digital artworks
19:00 artist talks (in English)
20:00 AV performance by HRYVNI (UA)
21:00 AV performance by Jenia Advokat (UA) & Alina Khorolska (UA)
22:00 electronic music concert (UA)
Date: 09-10.03.2023