A significant exhibition dedicated to the memory of the outstanding Ukrainian poet Vasyl Stus, who faced repression from the Russian regime, will take place in Kyiv at the Art Arsenal.
The project titled “Vasyl Stus. As long as we're here, everything will be fine” will run from November 13 to February 8 and will occupy six halls of the Old Arsenal on Lavrska Street.
The name of the exhibition comes from a quote by Stus in letters to his friend Anatoliy Lazorenko: “As long as we're here, everything will be fine”. According to the organizers, these words will resonate with everyone seeking inspiration and resilience amidst modern challenges.
The exhibition will introduce Vasyl Stus as a brilliant intellectual, journalist, poet, and wordsmith.
“It is impressive how Vasyl Stus lived according to the ideals proclaimed in his youth. By avoiding hypocrisy, he became a target for repression and remained alone in his struggle,” the curators note.
Curator Olha Melnyk emphasizes that the exhibition is not a conventional retelling of Stus's biography.
“We focus on specific episodes that reveal his poetic, literary, and journalistic contributions. Witnesses of the events will narrate the context of the 1960s-1980s, where art and politics, personal and societal, are intertwined,” she explains.
“Vasyl Stus. Towards New Heights” is the first major project of the Art Arsenal after the Russian invasion.
“This project is of great importance to us. We see significant educational potential in it and are preparing a rich program. We hope many Ukrainians will discover new aspects of Stus,” says director Olesya Ostrovskaya-Lyuta.
Visitors will see a large array of archival materials and hear the voices of poets reading Stus's works, including recordings by Nadia Svitlychna.
The project compares the times of Stus with the present, highlighting common themes and issues that concerned youth in different eras.
“Today's events and Stus's biography have much in common. The poet, who could have been among us, is perceived as a contemporary,” the organizers state.
Prominent Ukrainian artists, such as Serhiy Zhadan and others, will read Stus's poems as part of the exhibition.