03.07.2023

The large-scale project Concentration of the Will has been exhibited in three venues of the organizing institutions: the first stage was held in May at the Modern Art Research Institute, the second, in June, at the M17 Contemporary Art Center, and the final part of the exhibition project opens in July at the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine. Each of the three locations has its own list of participants and exhibition of artworks.
The project aims to showcase contemporary art that reveals the Ukrainian vision of the will, the mental forces that help in the liberation struggle of the Ukrainian people against russia.
In order to find the most suitable artworks for the project concept, international open call was launched, and authors of the iconic works, that were created during the phase of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine, were invited. As a result, more than 100 artists took part in the Concentration of the Will project.

The artists represented at the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine:
Matviy Vaisberg, Yuriy Vakulenko, Oleg Veklenko, Solomiia Gorobiuk, Magdalena Gryska, Serhii Zapadnia, Oleksii Ivaniuk, Iryna Kalenyk, Viktoriia Kartashova, Dmytro Kozatskyi, Anatoly Kryvolap, Mariya Levytska, Volodymyr Lesnyak, Anton Logov, Pavlo Makov, Lyubomyr Medvid, Serhiy Mykhalchuk, Roman Minin, Olga Petrova, Ed Potapenkov, Oleksii Revika, Olesya Trofimenko, Radoslav Charkovsky, and Daniil Shumikhin.
An important part of the programme of events in the NAA of Ukraine is a series of documentary short films "Culture vs War" by the "Watch Ukrainian!" association, which tells the story of famous Ukrainian artists who rose up to defend Ukraine.
The slogan of the project is "To be free to create". This statement embodies the central idea of artistic reflections united in the Concentration of the Will.

Directed by Kadim Tarasov
Director of Photography: Yuriy Gruzinov
Producer: Andriy Rizol

Organized by the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine,
Modern Art Research Institute
and M17 Contemporary Art Center.
Curators: Andriy Sydorenko, Iryna Yatsyk

Project management from the institutions:
Andriy Puchkov (NAA of Ukraine), Igor Abramovych (MARI), Natalia Shpytkovska (M17 CAC)

The project is supported by Natalia Cola Foundation, Art Support Fund, Aleksandr Savchuk Foundation, ArtHuss, Front-Art, Utico, Ulma.
Media partners: Антиквар, МІТЄЦ, АртКурсив.

For the opening of the project at the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine, Oleksandr Burlaka developed an architectural solution for the exhibition space.

The opening of the third part of the project will take place on 12 July at 6 p.m.
at the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine
20 Bulvarno-Kudriavska St., Kyiv city
Mon-Fri from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission is free