Tribute to Alexander Shkurapat: Exhibition and Film
The Odessa Museum of Personal Collections named after O.V. Bleschunov is hosting an exhibition dedicated to the memory of the renowned artist Alexander Yosipovich Shkurapat (1964—2008). This year marks his 60th birthday. To honor this occasion, art enthusiasts have organized the filming of a documentary titled “Alexander Shkurapat. Renaissance” and a memorial exhibition of paintings and graphics titled “Renaissance”.
Alexander Shkurapat began his artistic journey at the age of ten while staying at a children's boarding school in Kiliya, Odessa region. His first solo exhibition took place in the summer of 1991, where he was the youngest exhibitor at the Odessa Art Museum. Odessa journalist and researcher of Shkurapat's work, Eduard Ratushnyak, describes his themes as “keen observations of the periphery”: “It was clear from his first solo exhibition that he was observing the hidden life of a small Ukrainian village, prompting viewers to smile, think, marvel, cry, or even laugh out loud.”
Key events in the artist's career included the first International Art Festivals “Classical Avant-Garde and Contemporary Art of Ukraine” in 1996 and 1997 in Kyiv, where Shkurapat represented his city alongside other Odessa masters. His artistic potential was more than sufficient for participation in numerous collective exhibitions in Lviv, Zurich, Kyiv, Odessa, Vienna, and other cities.
At the “Renaissance” exhibition in the Bleschunov House, visitors can see paintings from the series “Odessa and its Surroundings”, “City of Fish”, “My Ukraine”, “The Abduction of Europe”, as well as “home” works that the artist left for himself and his family as reminders of his creative journey. These unique pieces will be showcased for the first time.
The organizers have conditionally divided the exhibition into four sections in the museum's communicative space “Apartment No.6”:
- first hall: “Students. Painting and Graphics. Exhibition Posters. Mid-80s – 90s of the XX-XXI centuries”;
- second hall: “Painting. 80s, 90s of the XX – Early XXI centuries”;
- glass stand: “Albums. Photos. Catalogs. Newspapers. Manuscripts”;
- portfolio: “Drawings, Engravings. Mid-80s”.
In addition to the works displayed in the “Renaissance” exhibition, the project curators have over 60 pieces by Alexander Shkurapat in their collection.
The exhibition will run from October 3 to 27. The exhibition will be open to visitors on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11 AM to 5 PM.