The traditional framework for understanding the world has ceased to function. The usual order of things has long since been disrupted, and the unstable and aggressive world in which Ukrainians have been living for more than a decade raises more questions than answers. How do we understand why all this is happening to us? How to understand when it will end? How to understand where to go, and most importantly, how to move on? Undoubtedly, it is difficult to understand, but it is extremely necessary. At least for the sake of not suddenly falling into the syndrome of postponed life. Because you only have one life, and you want to live it with dignity.

These reflections on the depth of human capabilities in times of crisis formed the basis of the artistic research of the famous Lviv artist Liudmyla Davydenko and served as a starting point in the formation of the concept of the exhibition “Understand” presented at the KhRMA. The author’s thoughts and her personal experiences of traumatic experiences flow smoothly into her work and grow in it like a rhizome.

But it is also one of the key concepts of poststructuralist and postmodernist philosophy (introduced by Gilles Deleuze and Felix-Pierre Guattari in their 1976 book of the same name to denote a non-systemic and nonlinear way of organizing integrity). I propose to familiarize ourselves with the work of Liudmyla Davydenko through the prism of this doctrine. After all, according to it, rhizomes, which are seen as a metaphor, can develop unpredictably and take on any configuration. Moreover, despite instability and internal ruptures, they can form a new space with the help of moving lines alone.

It is the line that acts as the main means of modeling and shaping the artist’s visual language, which is equally manifested in both painting and sculpture. In general, the transition from one technique to another is a constant and continuous process, thanks to which sculpture has become “pictorial” and painting has been enriched with new spatial solutions. Despite the limited palette in painting, the plastic expressiveness of the line forms a vibrating surface of the canvas, filled with dynamics and harmony. The line emphasizes pain and reveals strength, the line braids thoughts and immerses in memories. The line lives its own life and, intertwined in the artist’s life, becomes for her the “Ariadne’s thread” – a life-saving transition from despair to the release of negative emotions.

For reference:
Born in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi.
1983-1986 – studied at the Myrhorod Ceramic College. Faculty of Ceramics Technology.
1987-1991 – work at the Kokchetavsky Porcelain Factory as a painter.
1992-1998 – studying at the Lviv Academy of Arts. Faculty of Art Ceramics. Teachers in the specialty: Ivan Frank, Stepan Andrusiv, Orest Holubets, T. Yanko. Participant in numerous plein airs and exhibition projects and art symposia, including: Contemporary Art Kyiv, Lviv Fashion Week, ART ZURICH, Art Paris, RHY Art Fire Basel, Lviv Art Days, International Triennial SILVER QUADRANGLE. His works are kept in private collections in Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the USA, France, Spain and Switzerland.