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The soul of art without weapons

<span class="title_image">la Biennale Arsenale</span><span class="description_image"><?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <section xmlns:image="http://ez.no/namespaces/ezpublish3/image/" xmlns:xhtml="http://ez.no/namespaces/ezpublish3/xhtml/" xmlns:custom="http://ez.no/namespaces/ezpublish3/custom/"/> </span><br/><span class="author"></span><br/><span class="copyright"><img src="/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/sepa-menu-footer/copyrights/tous-droits-reserve/1960-1-fre-FR/Tous-droits-reserve_smallicon.jpg" alt="Tous droits reservé" title="Tous droits reservé"/>Anna Rabotiaga</span><span class="title_licence"></span>
la Biennale Arsenale


Tous droits reservéAnna Rabotiaga
Articles | Publié le 25.06.2012 In the heart of the city of Kiev, Mystetskyi Arsenal is an unusual place. Many artists of an international fame have come here. Contemporary art lovers can pass the ghosts of militaries and nuns who used to live there in the old days.

In the 16th century, Arsenal used to be a monastery. Therefore, nuns were the first ones to live inside these walls. They had to obey the orders of Marie-Magdaleine of Mazepa, mother of one of the Cossack chief commander. The Cossacks used to form the Ukrainian army from the 15th to the 18th century. In fact, religion was fundamental in the lives of Cossacks.

Militaries ousted the nuns

But Peter the Great, Russian combative emperor and disturbing neighbour, orders the transformation of the convent into a fortress. The monastery thus becomes an arsenal. It supplies Ukraine and Russia (to whom it belongs) the necessary weapons to insure its defense and its desire of expansion.

In 1918, a pro-Bolshevik faction from the Arsenal workers supports the Russian revolution. The Arsenal survives during the Cold War keeping producing weapons, but definitely becomes obsolete after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Art ousted the weapons

 The place survived thanks to its metamorphosis into a centre of contemporary art. The project was born under the presidency of Viktor Iouchtchenko. First of all it obtained the status of cultural and artistic institution in 2003.

The fortress becomes a multifunctional centre where art dominates in all its forms: concerts, exhibitions, conferences, auction sale aiming at charity... or even a Ukrainian Fashion Week!

 The Mystetskyi Arsenal steps forward by welcoming the first contemporary art international biennial of Kiev, Arsenale . It's taking place from the 24th of May to the 31st of July 2012. By giving itself an international reputation, it proves the will to develop culture in Ukraine.

Anna Lavrentieva, Bila Tserkva Ukraine
//Publicité