Today humanity is experiencing a time of profound existential crisis and global upheaval.
The world is undergoing tectonic shifts on every level of its existence — values, society, politics, culture, and climate.
We are witnessing events that are transforming the familiar order of things and forcing us to look anew at ourselves and the world around us. At such moments, it becomes especially important to find points of reference and support. Sometimes this requires looking at what is happening not only from within our own experience, but from a broader perspective — seeing the bigger picture and understanding the connections between events, causes, and consequences.
This is where art plays a vital role. Through images, sounds, and forms, it has the power to reveal a holistic vision of the world and help us comprehend the processes unfolding both around us and within us.
Symbols and signs become a special language that allows us to speak about what is complex, invisible, and often beyond words.
The new season of Kyiv Art Sessions, dedicated to the theme "Symbols and Signs", is a search for meaning, points of orientation, and new ways of understanding the world in a time of existential change.
The central event of the season will be Oleksandr Dubovyk’s exhibition "White Bouquet", presented from 1 to 10 July in Oxford as part of the prestigious Oxford Festival of the Arts.
It is symbolic that this year’s festival theme is also "Signs and Symbols", creating a unique space for dialogue between Ukrainian culture and the global context.
Oleksandr Dubovyk is an outstanding artist of international stature, a creator of remarkable intellectual breadth, a philosopher, and a poet who has developed his own unique system of symbols.
For Dubovyk, symbols and signs are neither decorative elements nor artistic metaphors. They are a philosophy and a way of thinking. A form of inner navigation. A journey through chaos toward wholeness and harmony.
Dubovyk’s signs and symbols function as a system of reference points; they initiate a process of seeing and conscious perception of our reality and the laws that govern the universe.
An important part of the exhibition will be "Dubovyk Fashion", a performance by the exceptional Ukrainian artist, fashion designer, and philosopher Fedir Voziianov.
"Dubovyk Fashion" offers an immersion into Oleksandr Dubovyk’s symbolic universe through colour, the texture of fabric, movement, and form, allowing audiences to engage more deeply with the artist’s world.
The theme of symbols and signs will continue in music.
The Kyiv Art Sessions programme includes the concerts "Labyrinth of Meanings" and "Symbols and Signs", featuring works by leading contemporary Ukrainian composers Valentyn Sylvestrov, Victoria Poleva, and Maxim Shalygin, performed by the brilliant and distinctive pianist Antonii Baryshevskyi.
It is especially significant that the theme of signs and symbols in the United Kingdom will be explored through the voices of Ukrainian artists.
Today, Ukraine stands at the very centre of global transformation. We are not merely observing these changes — we are living through them every day.
While enduring the dramatic realities of war, loss, and struggle, Ukrainian society is simultaneously forging a new sense of wholeness, new meanings, and a new responsibility for the future.
In more details: https://kyivartsessions.com/