2007, Kyiv, group of children singing a christian song at night; they sing in Ukrainian and Russain,
but I lost a Ukrainian version...'Hristos so mnoy' - Jesus with me...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeGSsXw6W5k

...this is a video clip from my 2k7 visit to Kyiv, capital of Ukraine;
traditional ukrainian singer Kobzar singing a song of Ivan Mazepa
( read Lord Byron 'Mazepa' or Pushkin 'Poltava') - one of symbols
of Ukrainian independence movement of all time

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSUiEaPHKPk

Kyiv - city of miracle,

state of golden Lore -

could be sad or lirical,

could be rough of satirical,

but never ever empiriacal -

thosand years old

scroll!

!!!

!!

!

Remediation by Taras Polataiko @UIA

of three parts of Taras Plataiko exhibition at Ukrainian Istitute in New York I would put on the first place four black/white nudes:

they have a strong emotional appeall  and mistic of behind the Glass dark, a bit gloomy,but beautiful
melody that stay with you for a time and keep getting back and have a multiple reading of real art work;
one of nude litarally shoot at viewer with a rifle...a point when you really can forget of woman's body;-);

on the second place I would put the video/photo installation "Kyiv Classical"- vidio/photo investigation
about a disappearance of commemorative plaque from the wall of The Four Tower Building in Bad Ems (Germany) where Russian Czar Alexander II signed a secret edict prohibiting the use of the Ukrainian language in 1876; very original and timely idea, something that really hard to implement and the point when
history, modern time and artistic imagination give us a  multimeadia installation that from my point of view
require extra thinking and extra work;

"Glare" - something that couple of people I spoke to called "a quoted art" or "secondary" work or
NOT an art at all: famous Kazimir Malevich "Black square" had been  interpreted and explained many
times ( and yes we do need new idea, new approach, fresh air!);

here a link to YouTube video interview with other ukainian artist Vita Soyka (in ukrainian):
"...modern art at the state when it requires some kind of electroshock to be revived",
"...my seven years old could do better work than this one"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4941TBk8qo

Two ukrainian artists: Michailo Barabash & Vita Soyka @ Ukrainian Institute of America

One more quote from an eighteen century ukrainian philosopher Hrygorii Skovoroda:


of death:

kto j na eya pl'uet ostruyu stal'?
tot chiya sovest' - kak chistiy hrustal'

who is to spit on her sharpened blade?
those with conscious - like virgin maid's...

In time when a cost of an human life's getting cheaper and cheaper - it's a great
a Maxima to follow and a great compass to get oriented in a moral chaos
of our modern time.
p.s.
my translation from Ukrainian 2 English

...my first entry to my new blog "Ukraine21" could be a translation from 20th century Ukrainian Poet Volodimir Sos'ura:

Lobit' Ukraiinu y radosti mit' - lubit' y godinu negodi.
Love Ukraine in time of joy  - love Ukraine in time of troubles.

So much written about pride, love and dedication to this land, but we never have these 
simple lines:

Love the States in time of joy - love the States in time of troubles!

so, now we do have them!