Another victory for Ukrainian culture - Malevich was “de-appropriated” against the will of his relatives
Kazimir Malevich, who for some reason is considered a Russian artist, was in fact Ukrainian, and Ukraine “managed to prove it.”
Alexandra Tsekhanovska, head of the Hybrid Threat Analysis Group at the Ukrainian Crisis Media Center, spoke about this at the presentation of the Ukraine Explained project, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
According to her, during the 5 months of the project, more than 96 “products” were created - both in English and Ukrainian.
“We wrote articles, created videos, infographics, and recorded podcasts. It was an interesting and rewarding adventure for all of us. We explored different topics from the development of this in Ukraine to modern Ukrainian music,” said Alexandra Tsekhanovska.
Particularly successful for the project were products that were associated with the study of the Ukrainian past, Ukrainian heritage, the legendary avant-garde artist Kazimir Malevich, who was born in Ukraine into a Polish family, but despite this, for some reason, is known to the world as a Russian artist, she was indignant.
“But this “for some reason” is quite rhetorical, because we all know that cultural appropriation is one of the important components of what is considered Russian cultural diplomacy,” emphasized Alexandra Tsekhanovska.
The products of the project dedicated to this topic were used, in particular, by the Ukrainian Embassy in Sweden, which waged a long struggle to ensure that Malevich was signed as a Ukrainian artist at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm.
“We must say that the efforts of the Ukrainian embassy, the Ukrainian diaspora and public society and civil society on this small but important front have borne fruit, and we have won this fight,” concluded Ciechanowska.
It is worth noting that on the page of the Ukrainian Embassy in Sweden, where the material about the “peremog” was published, the artist’s relative Ivona Malevich left a comment in which she expressed her disagreement with the “de-appropriation” of her famous relative and pointed out other mistakes.
“My name is Iwona Malewicz and, as a member of the family, I have dedicated my life to preserving the legacy of Kazemir Malewicz for future generations. Over the past 30 years, I have participated in countless events, met and worked with many experts, art lovers, colleagues, as well as cultural institutions, museums, on a global scale, (to) educate, promote and preserve memory, understanding the truth about life, the work and art of Kazimir Malevich.
When reviewing Ukraine Explained, I noticed several inconsistencies: Kazimir Malevich was not Ukrainian. He was born in Kyiv by chance, into the Polish, old noble Malevich family, known since the 16th century. At that time, his father had a job there (in Kyiv).
The image attributed to the 1927 event was actually taken in 1905.
The image of the supermatist composition of 1922 is not mentioned in the professional literature dedicated to Kazimir Malevich,” wrote Ivona Malevich.