Despite the incredibly difficult weeks of the active terrorist phase of Russian aggression against the capital of Ukraine, the exhibition project opened as scheduled, on 1 June 2023, and the event was attended by about 600 guests. The opening was attended by the project curators, representatives of the organising institutions, philanthropists and art connoisseurs, artists and project participants. The Art Support Fund provided essential support for the opening of the second stage of the Concentration of the Will project at the M17 CAC.
The exhibition at the M17 Contemporary Art Center showcases the artworks by 49 artists: video art, photography, an installation of military equipment fragments, objects, graphics, painting, and sculpture. The exhibition at M17 brings together artworks that highlight various aspects of the consequences of the full-scale Russian invasion and reveals the Ukrainian vision of the will.
“It is meaningful for us to relaunch the M17 Contemporary Art Center with precisely this exhibition project, which brings together three institutions and reflects a vision of the Will in turbulent historical times. Over the past year, art has been a means of "survival" to a certain extent: it was a therapeutic practice for both artists and art lovers. Artists have played and continue to play an important role in supporting the morale of the nation and uniting people.” – Natalia Shpytkovska, Director of the M17 CAC “When we were creating this project and launching it, we realised that it was a certain moment of unity: so many people care about what is happening here and are ready to support Ukrainian art during the war.” – Andriy Sydorenko, curator of the Concentration of the Will project “Today we are opening the second part of the Concentration of the Will project with faith in the future, a strong will, and character. We hope that at the exhibition in the M17, each guest will find their inspiration, that piece of art that will give them the fortitude to live here and now.” – Iryna Yatsyk, curator of the Concentration of the Will project “Almost a year and a half has passed since the M17 was temporarily closed. However, today, even though the war continues, despite our grief, and our pain, due to our will, we are reopening the M17 with this large-scale exhibition. Each of us must do our part to win. And each of us cannot live without culture, without creativity. I am grateful to everyone who worked on this project and made it possible.” – Andriy Adamovskiy, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of M17 Contemporary Art Center “The period of occupation in Kherson, during which my Occupation Diary was created, changed me from the inside, and I realised a lot of things. This project is about the concentration of the will, about the fact that it was the will and faith that helped us to endure - not only for me and my wife but for all the people of Kherson who were waiting for liberation. In challenging times, Ukrainians import the precious to the world - resilience and inspiration.” – Mykhailo Rai, artist, a participant in the exhibition project "Concentration of the Will" "What has been dear to hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians since childhood was destroyed, turned into an exclusion zone with only ruins and ashes. The only thing that holds it together is heroism. People who look ruthlessly into the face of darkness." – Victor Sydorenko, artist, a participant in the exhibition project "Concentration of the Will"
The exhibition at the M17 Contemporary Art Center will feature works by Eva Andronikidou, Max Vityk, Sofia Golubeva, Marianna Goncharenko, Petro Gronsky, Serhiy Gulievych, Liudmyla Davydenko, Angelina Datsiuk, Dmytro Dotsenko, Dmytro Erlich, Marharyta Zhurunova, Serhiy Zapadnya, Nikita Zigura, Serhiy Korniievskyi, Aliona Kuznetsova, Kostiantyn Lapushen, Kateryna Lisova, Anton Logov, Bohdan Lokatyr, Maksym Mazur, Marianna Maslova, Natalia Okhman, Yevhen Pavlov, Tetiana Pavlova, Anastasiia Podervianska, Serhiy Popov, Eduard Potapenkov, Mykhailo Rai, Liudmyla Rashtanova, Vladyslav Ryaboshtan, Victor Sydorenko, Tiberiy Silvashi, Viacheslav Strannik, Vasyl Tatarskyi, Nikita Titov, Olesia Trofymenko, Mykyta Tsoi, Oleksandr Chekmenov, Oksana Chepelyk, Oleksii Chystotin, Illya Chichkan, Sasha Chichkan, Volodymyr Shaposhnikov, Mariia Shevchenko, Zakhar Shevchuk, Yuliia Shybirkina, Yuriy Syvyryn, Vladyslav Yudin, Albina Yalosa.