The three-day multidisciplinary High Arts Festival Kyiv Art Sessions in the Old Sessions House within the framework of the High Art Festival Bouquet Kyiv Stage presented the best examples of modern Ukrainian art in historical locations in London, in particular in the Old Sessions House.
The festival is another, already the second step towards creating a permanent presence of Ukrainian art in Great Britain. The first step was the cultural evening "Culture vs War: Antitila", which took place at the end of May this year at the Electric Cinema, London.
The destruction of cultural heritage sites by russian federation during a large-scale war in Ukraine is no coincidence since for hundreds of years russia has been trying to erase national memory, identity and distinctive Ukrainian culture. Never has the protection and promotion of Ukrainian culture been of such paramount importance as now, when Ukrainians are fighting for their homeland.
The goal of the Festival in London is to popularize Ukrainian High Art even more and more widely, foremost in Great Britain, a country that is a real partner of Ukraine in the modern existential confrontation between good and evil.
Exhibitions in the programme of the festival:
● solo show- exclusive presentation of the works of Oleksandr Dubovyk, an iconic figure in the history of Ukrainian modern art, the Ukrainian avant-garde (the artist's latest works, most of which Oleksandr Dubovyk wrote during the war, will be presented for the first time in London);● exhibition of war artifacts War Fragments Museum — frozen in transparent cubes, the artefacts of war give a visual representation of the impact of war on people's lives. Each cube is an artistic testimony to the stories of survival and personal experiences of those affected by war.● Echoes and Visions — a group exhibition of young Ukrainian artists, including Feldman Sisters, SOC.I.A and others.

The musical component of the festival was represented by:
●A concert of Ukrainian classical music performed by NotaBene Chamber Group. Chamber ensemble NotaBene Chamber Group -Maxim Grinchenko (violin), Andriy Pavlov (violin), Ihor Zavhorodny (viola), Artem Poludenny (cello). The brightest young Ukrainian musicians, laureates of prestigious national and international competitions played the music of Ukrainian composers Borys Lyatoshynsky, Yevgen Stankovych, Maxym Shalygin.
● An electroacoustic performance by the DZ’OB band incorporated contemporary and academic music.  Electro-acoustic ensemble DZ'OB. Participants: Oleksii Badin (cello), Vasyl Starshinov (oboe), Iryna Li (violin), Oleksii Starshynov (bassoon). "DZ'OB create an amazing hybrid of classical and avant-garde dance music.", wrote The Gardian about them.
● The electronic set Tribute to Maria Prymachenko, that is accompanied by visuals by the prominent Ukrainian artist, was performed by the composer and musician Andriy KiritchenkoAndriy Kyrychenko, one of the best Ukrainian electronic musicians, sound designer and founder of the NextSound festival, also performed to the London audience. A new album by the musician MARIA was released in 2024 on the British label Touched Music. The history of the album began with his performance at the Bouquet Kyiv Stage Art Festival in 2020, when he used Maria Prymachenko's paintings as a visual accompaniment to his concert.
Kyiv Art Sessions also presented contemporary Ukrainian documentary films from the Culture vs War series initiated by the "Dyvys’Ukrains’ke!" Association. in April 2022 in order to record and convey the truth about the war of the russian federation against Ukraine through the stories of the struggle of well-known artists.The film was presented by an opinion leader, kobzar, lyre player, and from the time of the Big War, military man Taras Kompanichenko.
Kyiv Art Sessions in the Old Sessions House festival in London is a charity event. All collected funds will be directed to the support of Ukrainian artists and the Ukrainian creative community.
We sincerely thank our British partners: ● Art Shield Foundation, co-organizers of the festival. And: ● Knotel at Old Session House, which provided an incredible venue for the festival● PR of Paradox company We thank our Ukrainian partners:● Associations See Ukrainian● National House of Music

Search the detailed information about the programme on the Bouquet Kyiv Stage website.