“Prosto nebylytsi” 2020, or 10 years of popularizing the work of young Ukrainian artists in the world

On December 4, 2020, the tenth (anniversary) culmination of the All-Ukrainian Project for young artists, “Prosto nebylytsi”, took place in the exhibition halls of the Lviv Historical Museum. The program of the Ceremonial Event, in accordance with long-established good traditions since the inception of the Project, consisted of opening an exhibition of the best works of art of 2020, announcing the results of the competition program, and awarding the winning authors based on the decision of the International Qualification Board.

It will be recalled that in Ukraine, the Project was initiated by the International Association of Culture and Art back in 2011. And since then, “Prosto nebylytsi” has successfully operated in Ukraine and abroad for ten years in a row. The Project Coordinator is the Lviv Regional Charitable Foundation “TORBA”, and its organizer is the NGO “Center for Cultural & Arts Initiatives”.

This competition aims to open a space for the creative self-expression of young Ukrainian artists and to popularize their art in the world. Thanks to the efforts of organizers, benefactors, patrons, and artists of Ukraine and partner countries, the Project is implemented exclusively as a public initiative. During the years of the exhibition tour, “Prosto nebylytsi” has already been presented in Lviv, Kyiv, Dnipro, Zhytomyr (Ukraine), Warsaw, Krakow (Poland), Tsuga (Switzerland), Milan (Italy), Paris (France). To date, thousands of people have visited the expositions of all editions.

During the operation of the Project it was possible to enable the participation of more than a dozen children living in specialized institutions in the Lviv and Lviv region (orphanages, boarding schools, etc.). Through the organizing committee’s joint efforts, sponsors, patrons, and art admirers of many European countries, the benefactors’ funds were used to purchase art supplies, stationery, and sweets for the children who stayed in these houses. The initiative team of the organizing committee comes to specialized institutions, conducts master classes in painting and graphics, and helps to submit their residents’ works to participate in the competition. And this year, once again, young artists who were deprived of parental care had the opportunity to participate in the Project.

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In total, 805 works from 22 regions of Ukraine were sent to participate in this year’s All-Ukrainian project. 638 works were qualified for participation in the competition, 42 of them were from pupils of specialized institutions (children deprived of parental care, people with special needs, etc.). This year’s jury has traditionally invited nine specialists in fine and decorative arts. Every year the composition of the international board is continuously updated. In 2020, the jury included:

Emmanuelle Brunet is a painter, watercolorist, leader of the International Watercolor Society for the country of France. Joué-lès-Tours, France.

Mauri Virtanen is a painter, watercolorist, head of the International Watercolor Society in the country of Ecuador, member of the Union of Plastic Artists of Romania, of the Japan International Watercolor Institute, Chevalier Academicien (Knight Academist) of the Mondial Art Academia of France. Quito, Ecuador.

Ostap Kovalchuk is a Vice-rector of Ukrainian National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture, Candidate of Art Studies, Honored Worker of Arts of Ukraine. Kyiv, Ukraine.

Magdalena Mazik is an Art theorist, Head of the Department of Theory of Art of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow. Krakow, Polska.

Andras Manajlo is a painter. Vác, Hungary.

Silvia Monge is a painter, watercolorist, artist in glass and ceramics, member of the Advisory Council of the Board of Directors of the International Watercolor Society, member of the Costa Rican Watercolor Society. Teaching practice of watercolor painting (in the USA, Spain, Mexico, Portugal and the Czech Republic). San José, Costa Rica.

Roman Pyza is a painter, stained glass artist. Art director of the RIO stained glass workshop. Lviv, Ukraine.

Oresta Remeshylo-Rybchynska is an Associate professor of Institute of Architecture and Design of Lviv Polytechnic National University, Candidate of Philosophy, Member of National Union of Architects of Ukraine, Member of ICOMOS. Lviv, Ukraine.

Rostyslav Shmahalo is a Doctor of Art Studies, Professor, Dean of the Faculty of History and Theory of Art of Lviv National Academy of Arts, Honored Worker of Arts of Ukraine, Board Member and Head of the Division of Arts and Art Management of Lviv Regional Organization of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine, Member of Union of Art Critics and Historians. Lviv, Ukraine.

Due to the obligatory observance of anti-epidemic measures, the announcement of the competition program’s results of the Project “Prosto nebylytsi” 2020 took place in a live format with a mandatory condition pre-registration and online broadcasting for all fans who failed to participate in the Ceremony personally. Anyone interested can watch the video recording on the project organizer (artcenter.org.ua) and the Project Coordinator (lvivtorba.com).

The event began with a welcoming speech by the General Coordinator and Artistic Director of the Project Andriy Sendetskyy, who led the Celebration. The floor was given to Roman Chmelyk, director of the Lviv Historical Museum, in the exhibition halls of which this year and ten years earlier – in 2011, hospitably presents the best works of art by young artists of Ukraine.

Unfortunately, not everyone could become a guest of the Solemn Event due to the spread of COVID-19. However, as expected, they were Project participants, partners, patrons, and official guests, among whom were personally present Tetyana Skyrda (official representative of the Project in Kyiv); Ivan Sobko (Deputy Head of Lviv Regional State Administration); Tetyana Plugator (in Acting Director of the Department of Culture, Nationalities, and Religions of Lviv Regional State Administration); Olga Kotovska (Head of the Innovation Department of the Department of Education and Science of Lviv Regional State Administration), Oksana Stelmakh (representative of the Lviv City Administration).

For the first time in the years of organizing the Project, the authorities visited the Ceremony with an excellent welcoming speech and official thanks from the first person of Lviv and the first person of the state authority in the Lviv region. The members of the organizing committee, public activists of the Center for Cultural & Arts Initiatives: Oleh Bolyuk (academic project manager), Serhiy Havrylovych (chairman of the organizing committee), Vira Galaiko (head of the volunteer) were thanked for all ten years.

Within this year’s Project framework, the personal anniversary stamp “Prosto nebylytsi” was presented and solemnly repaid. For the fifth year in a row, the state-owned enterprise Ukrposhta produces the original stamps Prosto nebylytsi (the author of the logo is Serhiy Havrylovych). In the same year, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Project, Ukrposhta issued a jubilee envelope at the national level, which contains an image of one of the winners of the 2016 Project on the front (work by E. Hryneva, 7, “I went, boys, to sleep”).

The exhibition of the exposition collection “Prosto nebylytsi 2020” can be viewed from December 2020 – January 2021 in Lviv at Sq. Market 6, 3rd floor, exhibition halls of the Lviv Historical Museum, or in the online gallery of the Center for Cultural and Artistic Initiatives around the clock.

Special awards were given to:

Laureate 1th degree

Laureate 2th degree

Laureate 3th degree

Participants of the exhibition of the best works of the project “PROSTO NEBYLYTSI 2020”

The Organizing Committee of the All-Ukrainian project “Prosto nebylytsi” expresses its profound gratitude to all those who selflessly and selflessly help to implement it every year successfully: the company “Textile-Contact-Lviv”, Fashion Studio Andriy Sendetskyy, hotel “IBIS Styles”, Neter Health Center “Dragonfly”, “Ukrposhta”, the company “Universal Glass Cutting”, publishing houses “Basics” and “A priori”, toy store “FAIRY TALE”, Lviv Chocolate Workshop and other benefactors who are constantly mentioned on the pages of the annual catalog of the best works Project, organizers’ sites, invitations, posters, and flyers. In the group of benefactors of the Project, we congratulate the Shuvar market on its debut.

Special thanks and respect to all the staff of the Lviv Author’s Drama Theater “ScenA8” (t.artcenter.org.ua) for the ongoing partnership in the Project throughout all ten years!

The Organizing Committee is grateful to all participants together and individually for the high level of artistic works sent to participate in the All-Ukrainian project “Prosto nebylytsi”, which will represent Ukraine to the world!

“By working together, we are able to help talented young artists today in order to make humanity proud of them tomorrow” – Andriy Sendetskyy, General Coordinator and Artistic Director of the Project.