In the older generation, the word “poster” is associated primarily with campaign materials. One immediately thinks of the Soviet era, when posters called for a bright future. Today, we are reminded of posters by memes with topical jokes on social issues. But people involved in art know another dimension. As part of the Ars Teteriv Stage festival, Zhytomyr residents had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of poster art presented by Zhytomyr resident Olha Vasylenko. The designer began her work on the poster series in 2018 during an internship in Warsaw as part of the Gaude Polonia program. A series of posters based on the works of prominent Ukrainian and Polish composers – sound measurements recorded by visual means, the author’s reflections on specific musical works. We talked to the artist after the opening of her first solo exhibition
“I was born and raised in Zhytomyr, studied at the art school of Viktor Mykolayovych Shkurynsky and was in one of the last generations he taught. I don’t know how now, but during Victor Mykolayovych’s life there was a creative community. One of Shkurynsky’s most famous students is Zhytomyr artist Yuriy Kamyshny”
“Poster as an art form is not very popular in Ukraine, unlike other countries, such as Poland. It has to do with our economic realities. The Polish poster school became a global phenomenon when artists separated art from commerce. The development of poster art in Poland was due to the fact that it performed a completely different reak away from socialist censorship by developing their art. We are still developing the art of poster art in a commercial way”
“Ifunction – did not sell, did not inform, as was the case in other countries, including ours. Polish artists managed to b chose this art form for my personal exhibition because I consider the poster to be an elite form of design. My teachers also contributed to this. At the National Academy of Arts and Architecture I studied in the studio of graphic design Vitaly Konstantinovich Sixth, who instilled in us, his students, a love for posters. Vitaliy Kostiantynovych is one of the founders of the Kyiv School of Poster Art, which does not always sound loud. In my opinion, this is because we still associate this art form with commerce. However, a poster and a commercial order are different things in content, form and content. In Poland, I did an internship with Professor Lech Majewski of the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts, who is known and respected around the world”
“My first solo exhibition is taking place as part of the Ars Teteriv Stage festival, I have participated in group shows many times. She also participated in and won social advertising competitions. At the moment, I am open to cooperation, and if there is a request, I am ready to create. The exhibition presents non-profit items, a poster as an art form. I was taught to separate commerce from creativity, because when ordering you have to listen to the wishes of the client, which do not always coincide with the vision of the designer… Although I have enough commercial offers, if there is a good social project, I am ready to participate. This festival is just the case”
“My works presented at the Ars Teteriv Stage are not directly related to the history of musical Zhytomyr. Maybe because they are connected with the figures of Kosenko, whose best creative years were spent in Zhytomyr, and Borys Lyatoshysky. I was more interested in overcoming obstacles in the life and work of each of the composers”
“The Ukrainian Poster School is represented primarily by Vitaliy Shostia, who was my supervisor during his studies at the academy. The very interesting works of the young Kharkiv designer Serhiy Titov, which are devoted to military themes, are extremely sharp and accurate. One of the Polish artists said that the poster should look like a shot – to quickly touch the audience alive. Serhiy Titov’s works, in my opinion, look like such a “shot”
“The elitism of the poster is that the perception of the work, reading all the subtexts laid down by the author, requires from the viewer a certain level of readability, “surprise” and imagination. Getting acquainted with posters is an opportunity to raise your intellectual and cultural level. Yes, at first not everything can be understood. The exhibition is therefore exhibited at the Zhytomyr Music Vocational College named after V.S. Kosenko. Among future musicians, in my opinion, they should have a subtle perception and understanding of the meanings”
“Zhytomyr is a very beautiful ancient city, and I realized this beauty only when I left here. Mykhailivska, Hydropark, Shoduarivsky Park – these are all places that inspire to create”
