Gallery Portal 11 presents “AZOVSTAL. POW. Hostages of War.” personal exhibition by Mariia Levytska. 30.08.2024-08.09.2024.
2022. I ended up with a child in Prague. We visited museum of St. Agnieszka with Gothic sculptures and paintings. There I saw the ancient wood works: Madonna and Child with the baby having his arms and legs broken; Pieta, with Christ having legs broken. I felt it was about us. About the war in Ukraine, about broken life of children, of our people. There were morsels of information about Mariupol. There were just excerpts from the videos made by Azovstal defenders. I couldn’t help them. In the yard, near the garbage bins, I started drawing my pain. This happened prior to the President said that we fail to help them and ordered to surrender to honorable captivity… Later in Kyiv, we exhibited those Prague paintings in the National Museum of Medicine. Wives and mothers of prisoners of Azov attended it. A woman turned to me and asked: “Can you draw the prisoners?” – “I promised to try…“
Mariia Levytska is a theatrical production designer and costume designer. She was born in Kyiv, graduated from the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture of Ukraine, the department of painting, scenography section, workshop of professor Danylo Lieder. Her start up position was as a set and costume designer with Dovzhenko Film Studio.
Since 1989 Mariia Levytska has been working as the Art Director General of the National Opera of Ukraine. She is a member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine, the National Union of Cinematographers of Ukraine, a corresponding member of the Academy of Arts of Ukraine, a laureate of the Shevchenko National Prize (2003), theatre arts prize “Kyivska Pektoral” and “The Person of the Year – 2000” prize, a bearer of the Order of Princess Olga of a 2rd Class. She was awarded the highest state award of the Italian Republic, which can be awarded to foreign citizens – the Order of the Star of Italy (2016). She has created stage scenery and costumes for more than 160 operas, ballets and drama performances in Ukraine, Japan, Canada, Slovenia, Poland.
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