The Ukrainian Weekly 1993

No. 49 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1993Duo of artists from Kyyivto exhibit at Ulcrainian InstituteNEW YORK — In December, theUkrainian Institute of America, on 2 E.79th St., is presenting an exhibition ofrecent works by two artists from Kyyiv:Natalia Herasymenko, paintings, andMykola Perepelitsia, sculpture. The exhibitionopens on December 10 and willcontinue through December 27.Both Ms. Herasymenko and Mr.Perepelitsia were bom to Ukrainian parentsoutside Ukrainian borders, yet bothmaintain their Ukrainian identities.Mr. Perepelitsia's grandparents, seekinga better livelihood during Russianimperial times, migrated to Siberia,where land was plentiful and workingopportunities greater. His coal minerfather and his mother were bom there aswell, and during Soviet rule moved severaltimes in search of work.Mr. Perepelitsia was bom in Kirghiziain 1951. In 1973, after obligatory militaryservice, he found himself in Kyyiv,where he entered the Kyyiv State ArtInstitute (now the Ukrainian Academy ofArt), and studied under M. Vronsky,graduating in 1979.During his time at the academy, thepolitical atmosphere for Ukrainian artistspromoting Ukrainian culture was verydifficult. Mr. Perepelitsia and three othercolleagues founded a group with a commongoal: to transcend the mundane andcreate a more universal art, incorporatingmythological, Christian and philosophicalthemes. This group, called "Esotericaof Shapes," consists of Ukrainian artists,all bom outside Ukraine.Ms. Herasymenko was bom in 1957 inTbilisi, Georgia, where her Ukrainianparents worked. The family subsequentlyreturned to Kyyiv, where Ms.Herasymenko pursued an acting careerand appeared in several movies.However, her interest in painting prevailed,and she entered the Kyyiv StateArt Institute, where she studied under M.Storozhenko, graduating in 1983.At present, Mr. Perepelitsia lives andworks in Kyyiv. His son, Mykhailo,attends school in New York City, wherehe lives with his mother, sculptressLarissa Dekermendzi. Ms. Herasymenkoalso lives in Kyyiv with her husband andtwo sons. Both artists have exhibited inEastern Europe, Greece, Sweden,Germany and the U.S. Their group,"Esoterica," will exhibit art works thisspring in Paris.The exhibit will open on Friday,December 10, 6 - 9 p.m., and will continuethrough December 27. Gallery hoursare Tuesday - Sunday, noon - 6 p.m.,closed December 25. For information,please call (212) 288-8660 or (212) 628-3062.Ne Zhurys performs before full houseby Nestop GiilaTORONTO — The Ne Zhurys theatre/cabaretfrom Lviv returned toToronto on November 28 for a sold-outshow at the Ukrainian Culture Centerafter a four-year hiatus.During this time the group, likeUkraine which spawned it, has undergonedramatic change. Only two membersof the original cast returned for thisvisit to Canada: guitarist, singer andsongwriter Viktor Morozov, who alsoacts as the artistic director of Ne Zhurys,and Ostap Fedoryshyn, who is thegroup's humorist and administrator.The rest of the cast that came to NorthAmerica in the fall of 1989 have gonetheir separate ways, embarking on soloartistic careers for the most part. Duringthis four-year span, Ne Zhurys was verybusy. It toured in Australia, Argentina,Brazil, Paraguay, Poland, England,Gemiany and Belgium among others.For this visit, Ne Zhurys has addedsinger Oleh Lykhach, who also sings inthe Lviv Opera, guitarist/composer OlehYarema and violinist/singer RomanLozynsky. The latter duo, along withViktor Morozov, make up the acoustictrio Fourth Comer.As well, Mr. Morozov says that forthis tour the group wanted to avoid a formalconcert atmosphere for its shows. Todo this they created a cabaret-styleevening with the audience sitting attables sipping coffee, tea or inebriantsand munching on home-baked cheesecakes.Most of the audience sat throughthe more than two-hour concert withoutmoving and shushing those who did —obviously not accustomed to cabaretstyleentertainment.The show itself consisted of mostlynew, to the Canadian audience, material.There were some old favorites thrown in,which sparked a bit of audience participation.After the concert, Mr. Morozov saidtroupe members were aiming for anatmosphere of a cabaret in Lviv duringthe inter-war period. He said thosecabarets would feature artistic elementsfrom the many cultures present in Lviv atthat time. Also part of the show, theacoustic trio Fourth Corner borrowsheavily from, among others, Brazilianand Spanish flamenco rhythms and(Continued on page 22)''The Black Room/' a bronze sculpture by Mykola Perepelitsia.Ohio Boychoir to sing "Slichedryl