Once again watercolour. Merciless, masterful and relevant. Ievgen Petrov managed to evaluate and reconsider Zaporozhye city in his own way. As well as the previous artists, Nikolai Belous and Yurii Ermolenko, he made his project about this strange southern city, where he has never been before, and has visited it only owing to the efforts of the “Tsekh” gallery.

The ecological situation prevents tourism from developing: neither usual, nor cultural. At the same time, author has the impression that people who are living here have not realized their situation to the fullest extent and see no big tragedy in life in the city a la industrial zone.

 

Maybe, for this reason Petrov strengthens the presence of factory in characters’ lives. Cruelty, ugliness, farce, monumentalism, nature, and even sport have come in artist’s sight. Works that are different in the view of a subject, but performed in common technique create quite a strange image of time and place. Has it already happened, does it exists nowadays, or whether it will happen with us? It is not clear. In some subjects, he draws attention to the luring Soviet past. Past in which everyone had equally bright childhood and equally gloomy adulthood. As for the future of Zaporozhye city, Evgenyi leaves the future to the Chinese children...

Talking of children, title “The last change” is dictated by the place, in which this project had to be initially exhibited. The context in which this project is placed was important. Maybe it is the most beautiful Pioneer camp, performed in the style of “Stalin's Empire” in Ukraine. The camp is surrounded by gardens and parks, football pitch, own beach. And the most important thing is that all this is located on the Khortytsia Island, just exactly above the Old Dnieper. Bedroom blocks and dining room with colonnade represent the uniform architectural ensemble. Semi-centennial spruces, Crimean pines, maple oaks and planes are rhythmically written between buildings. It should be noted that the original appearance of this entire miracle remained untouched. In the summer time this wonderful place was Soviet pioneers’ resting place. They grew up, then left or stayed in the city, but have never come back to it for their children. Everything has changed, but the camp remained. And those who were in the last session of the last USSR’s summer will hardy come together nowadays, except for the exhibition on the occasion of their hometown, and even then, only in the Internet.

 

The administration of the factory, which owns the camp, for reasons undefined forbad us to hold this exhibition. We hope that this is not the final decision, because Zaporozhye city stands a good chance to become the cultural springboard of the independent Ukraine.

 

Oleksandr Shchelushchenko