Photo, digital art, installation views

Telluris Artspace

Project Messages from Paradise

Art-tandem BM Babak-Matveev

Telluris. Manifesto
Authors Mykola Babak, Evgene Matveev
Coordinator Veronika Ganechko

Dual Philosophical Disposition

It is impossible to characterize Telluris artistic space via established categories. The Babak-Matveev tandem carves this ethicalesthetic-culture space in the midst of the complex global conflict between globalization and individual nations tendencies towards
preservation, further developments, and determination of their national identities. Telluris is composed of dozens of individual
artistic projects. Almost all of them have open structure; it makes it easier to add on individual, as well as series of art works, as
the projects unfolds. The Babak-Matveev creative space does not have boundaries. It includes various genres of the contemporary
art and their combinations. The artistic tandem purposefully and consciously separates itself from the background artistic space.
We started building our own version of the modern visual art foundation, utilizing unusual constructions of psychological withdrawal,
while at the same time keeping it separate from the fickle art fashion. The Babak-Matveev tandem fills their work with timely, occasionally unreal artistic plasticity and philosophical madness. We integrate our egoistical view of the artistic media space into a
method of a suggestive interaction with art connoisseurs and professionals alike.

Moving from the trends of fragmentation and rhizome

as the main metaphors of the modern culture,
towards the trend of the new integrity
Rhizome (fr. rhizome root) is one of the key concepts of the philosophy of poststructuralism, introduced by G.Deleuze
and F.Guattari. Rhizome must resist the linear structures of being and thinking typical of classical European culture.
The tangled root system of a plant is the example of the rhizome as a concept. According to G.Deleuze and F.Guattari, the rhizome
has neither beginning, nor end; neither center, nor principle of the center (genetic axis), or a universal code. The scholars identify
the following qualities of the rhizome: (1) connection, (2) heterogeneity (any points of a rhizome can be connected to any other,
and must be), (3) multiplicity, (4) principle of a signifying rupture, (5) cartography, (6) decalcomania.
We think, that a rhizome can establish random and unexpected differences, impossible to juxtapose based on the presence or absence of a certain trait. Rhizome includes the lines of segmentation, relative speed of movement composing its structure. The
connections of rhizome lines create a so-called plateaus temporary zone of stability in the midst of its constantly pulsating configuration. G.Deleuze and F.Guattari compare these zones against binary vectors of development typical of woody structures.
Nomadic system of growth (concept of the new world view characterized by rejection of the strict structure, suggested by
G.Deleuze and F.Guattari)* rains the problem of interconnection between linear (woody) and non-linear (rhizome-like) environments. These environments possesses immanent (existing within, philosophical category of inherent internal connection as opposed to external one)**, creative potential of self-organization, and can be called synergetic.
* Wikipedia
** ibid

Project Messages from Paradise

Cherkasy-Kyiv, Ukraine. Mykola Babak, Evgene Matveev. 2016

Mykola Babak, Evgene Matveev. 2016

Project Messages from Paradise

Authors Mykola Babak, Evgene Matveev
Coordinator Veronika Ganechko

It seems that the surrounding world is given by the present and we should learn to survive in the modern environment. Actually,
everything that we could see and feel is only the top of constantly growing mountain, and the historical sense and mentality are
laid in its fundament and body. That is why it is very hard and almost quite impossible to value the actual status of the Ukrainian
society without mentioning its historical and mental constituents. Of course, every individual and the whole society as well obviously
try to live in maximal comfort (like in paradise), but there are many obstacles on this way, which are built in the consciousness. We
won't analyze our centuries-old historical past, but we should understand one period of our history, because our present and near
future depend upon it. We speak about the stage of development of our society in the soviet period, which historically was not very
long. And it is going not about the whole soviet period, but about 40th 70th of the 20th c., when the human matter under the
name sovok (a person with ingrained Soviet mentality) was formed. And it was obvious on the territory of Ukraine as well.
Were interested in the visualization of this sovok matter, because we are sure, we almost feel, that all our present disasters and
troubles were caused by it.
Being in the crowd the person come under smbs senseless slogans and actions very easily. This fact was known by the communist
authorities, and the first problem of the propaganda machine was to create out of the citizens the controlled crowd, and the problem
was solved successfully. They only had to create the ideal communist society as their aim, totally control everybody by totalitarian
means, assign the enemy, that was almost the whole democratic community, and drive the people like a herd towards the radiant
future, which was meant like a paradise.
And out of this radiant paradise we want to look into the eyes of our contemporaries, we want to get into their consciousness, resuscitate everything we can and warn the future generations against the tries of getting back to the totalitarian system.
Creating the series of art-works under the name Messages from Paradise we used some photos from Mykola Babaks collection
of rural photos. The point is that in the rural photos, made by rural photographers, you can find the Ukrainian mentality. We found
everything we wanted in faces, looks, slightly frightened poses or assumed unnatural vulgarity and frivolity, in desire for showing
best qualities, slight naivety, in wish to remain in the best outlook for their successors, in their miracle inner beauty, in warmness
and purity. Moreover observing the faces in these photos we can see anxiety and uncertainty about the next day, and there is
feeling of wild animals in front of you, which are caged in the zoo. And the beauty of style, plasticity and ornamentation of national
clothes looks phantasmagoric! The Ukrainian women could embroider the everyday clothes together with kufaiky (quilted coats)
as well, which they did not take off. And the most incredible thing is that they beautified the house, their mode of life and clothes
in the circumstances of everyday hard village work from sunrise till sundown in kolkhoz and their own gardens. And where did
they only find time?
Conceptually we had to find sickly sweet, fake communist paradise and to dip our characters into this foam, unrealized illusion
of reality. We consciously avoided active using of communism symbols in our art-works, tried to manage it very careful, but we
used some typical techniques of folk photographers and of the Ukrainian folk artists in general: nave symbols of folk paintings,
some elements of structural arrangement, and very often we used acid colors.

Speaking frankly, we did not want to make the observers of the art-work feel polar emotions: hope or hopelessness. We tried to

Now a small part of art

make them compare with our characters and get deep in thought, while most of us remain soviet in origin. We still hope that somebody come and solve all problems instead of us. And well get our paradise
Postmodernism is more like a mentality and an intellectual style. The postmodernism as a mental set is a hyperreflection, appeared
Our methodology of creating this project has at least a doubled sense (and every single art-work of 33 has its own ideas and mes-

in the circumstances of religious and philosophical vacuum, discrediting of ideological concepts, total relativism, overproducing of

sages). First of all, we want to make the esthetic, energetic, artistic and harmonious image, which is fixed in mind. Secondly, wed

momentary-consumption objects. The postmodernism as an art set is a maximum of intellectually-playing, heuristic, reflexive, dis-

like to create the ironical, buffoonery, mockery, Aesopian language. And at last the most important aim of the project is not to bring

crediting and minimum of sense creating, ethic, esthetic, constructive*.

our characters into derision. It's not their fault that they were locked in jaws of totalitarian regime and there are civil war, Holodomors,
repressions, the 2nd World War, and at last the simple animal fear in their genetic memory. And only now, at the beginning of the
21st c. appear the first emerging elements of changes, civil society and freedom.
We have described the minimal part of the ideas and messages of the project Messages from Paradise and made a sort of an
advertisement trailer. Weve just made notes of impulses for creating this project.

Relying on the above mentioned quotation from Vil Mirimanovs article Postmodernism in Art makes it obvious,
that we keep going a different way from this philosophical direction. We agree with some of its postulates (like mentality, intellectual style, intellectually-playing, heuristic, reflexive), but all other notions, to our point of view, are almost
out-of-date and should be revised. This process in the world has already begun, which is noted by many modern
philosophers.
In order to prove postmodernism it should be mentioned that it pretends to rebel against new European philosophy,
that tried to unite various phenomena of reality within the only one discourse of meta-narration. The target of this new
European project, as considered one of the ideologists of the postmodernism J.-F.Lyotard, is the search for homogeneity and unity. Moreover the postmodernism proves that this project couldnt exist and claims the inevitable plurality,
multiplicity and uniqueness of manifestation of reality, that couldnt be reduced to the common denominator**.
We are sure, that not depending on disagreement in science sphere the development of visual arts are going to be
characterized by national nuances and autoidentification, creation of new unity and return to sensemaking, ethic, esthetic and constructive things, and we keep going this way so far. This is a unique difference of the project Messages
from Paradise.
* V.Mirimanov. Postmodernism in Art
** A.Gritsanov. The Contemporary Dictionary of Philosophy. Postmodernism

Photo, digital art, installation views

M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Marpha Monroepko. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 200 x 150 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Eve. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 200 x 150 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Travelgirls. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 140 x 200 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Calf-Tender-Girl. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 140 x 200 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Dandy. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 200 x 150 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Gift of the Magi. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 140 x 200 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Student of an Industrial School. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 200 x 150 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Pig-Tender-Girls. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 140 x 200 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Savior of the Apple Feast Day. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 200 x 150 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Seller of Doves. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 200 x 150 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Resort Love Affair. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 140 x 200 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Little Girl of Heaven. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 140 x 200 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Sugarbeet-Grower-Girl. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 200 x 150 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Flood. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 140 x 200 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Wedding Gypsies. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 200 x 150 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Wedding Mummers. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 140 x 200 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Rhinoceros-Tamer-Girl. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 140 x 200 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Girl with a Watermelon. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 200 x 150 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Handshake. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 140 x 200 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Family Quarrel. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 140 x 200 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Waiting. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 200 x 150 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Recruits. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 200 x 150 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Penguins. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 200 x 150 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Bugler. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 200 x 150 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Wedding Procession. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 200 x 150 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Girls from Dubynka Village. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 140 x 200 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Group Treating. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 140 x 200 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Guitar-Girl. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 200 x 150 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Solokha. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 140 x 200 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Olena. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 140 x 200 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Bather Girls. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 200 x 150 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Honey Spas. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 140 x 200 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Skyline. 2016. Photo, digital art, installation views. Maximum print size 140 x 200 cm

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M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Marpha Monroepko forever. Sculpture Project in Chicago. 2016

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Visualization in the Museum Space

Project Messages from Paradise

M.Babak, E.Matveev. Messages from Paradise. Visualization

Mykola Babak

Evgene Matveev

Ukrainian artist, writer, art collector and publisher (Cherkasy).

Ukrainian artist (Kyiv).

Mykola Babak was born in Voronyntsi, Cherkasy Oblast. In 1971 he finished Melnyky Secondary School. From 1972 till 1974 he served in the Soviet Army. After demobilization he worked as a designer at Cherkasy Azot
Company and at Cherkasy Combine of art-advertisement. From 1979 till
1985 together with a group of artists he managed monumental projects
(wall-paintings, mosaics, stained-glass windows) in the far-east of Russia.
In 1986 Mykola Babak came back to Ukraine. He is known by his participation at the 51-st Venice Biennale of Contemporary art with the National
Project Your Children, Ukraine (2005). M.Babak is the member of National
Union of Artists of Ukraine (from 1990), Merited Artist of Ukraine (2004),
Taras Shevchenko National Prize Laureate (2010), People's Artist of
Ukraine (2016). His artworks are at the National Art Museum of Ukraine,
Contemporary Art Museum of Ukraine, Soviart (Ukrainian Center of Modern
Art), Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, Ministry of Culture of Russian Federation and in private collections in many countries of the world. Mykola Babak
lives and works in Cherkasy, Ukraine.

E.Matveev was born in Kharpai Village, Volokalamsk District, Moscow

Oblast. In 1972 he graduated from the Ivan Fedoriv Ukrainian Polygraph
Institute. From 1972 till 1973 he served in the Soviet Army. E.Matveev is
the member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine (from 1978),
Shevchenko National Prize Laureate (1983). Winner of silver medal of the
USSR Academy of Arts (1983). The Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada Golden
Prize Laureate (2001), Merited Artist of Ukraine (2004), People's Artist of
Ukraine (2016), laureate of numerous international and national prizes of
the highest level. He works almost in all techniques and directions of contemporary art. More than 600 Matveevs artworks are at the National Art
Museum of Ukraine, Taras Shevchenko National Museum, Ukrainian Museum of Book and Printing, Korolev Museum of Cosmonautics, Academy
of Arts of the USSR, Karl Marks Museum, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Ukraine, Contemporary Art Museum of Ukraine, Soviart (Ukrainian Center
of Modern Art), Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, Ministry of Culture of Russian
Federation and many other museums, institutions and private collections
in dozens countries all over the world. Evgene Matveev lives and works in
Kyiv, Ukraine.

Selected exhibitions:
2016 The Ukrainian Rural Photo (from Mykola Babaks private
collection), The National Taras Shevchenko Museum, Kyiv
2015 The Central Dnipro River Region Folk Icon of the 18th 20th c.
(from Mykola Babaks private collection), Art Museum, Cherkasy
2013 IV Fine Art Ukraine, Art-Arsenal, Kyiv
2006 Personal exhibition Celestial Chronicle,
The National Art Museum of Ukraine, Kyiv
2005 National Project Your Children, Ukraine
at the 51st Venice Biennale
2005 Project Your Children, Ukraine, Diploma and 1-st Prize,
The Gallery of the National Ukrainian Artist Trade Union, Kyiv
2004 Ukrainian Rural Photo (from Mykola Babaks private collection)
V International Photobiennale, Moscow Museum of Modern Art,
Moscow
2003 The Ukrainian Retrospective, I Kyiv Photobiennale,
Art Foundation Gallery, Kyiv
2002 The Ukrainian World of Painting, Beijing
2000 Collection of Axiomatic, The Gallery
of the National Ukrainian Artist Trade Union, Kyiv
1999 Personal Exhibition Telluris, The National Art Museum
of Ukraine, Kyiv
1993 People with People, Poland
Publishing
Monograph The Central Dnipro River Region Folk Icon
of the 18th 20th c. in the Context of Rural Cultural Space
Awards: Best Book of the Lviv Publishers Forum (2009)
Book of the Year and Grant Prize of the XI All-Ukrainian Rating (2009)
Diploma of The Art of Bookmaking Contest (2009)

Monograph The Central Ukraine Rural Photo of the late 19th 20th c.
Awards: Book of the Year of the XVI All-Ukrainian Rating (2014)
Diploma of The Art of Bookmaking Contest (2009)

Monograph Grygori Shevchenko Master of Photo-Painting,

Successor of Shevchenko Family
m.babak@bigmir.net

Selected exhibitions:
2014 The Show Within the Show, Art-Arsenal, Kyiv
2012 Communication XXI, CCA Soviart,
National Union of Artists of Ukraine, Kyiv
2011 Independent, Art-Arsenal, Kyiv
2011 Space Odyssey, Art-Arsenal, Kyiv
2011 Peoples Choice, CCA Soviart, Kyiv
2009 Metal Heart, Lavra Gallery, Kyiv
2009 Along the Wall, Art-Arsenal, Kyiv
2009 War, CCA Soviart, Kyiv
2008 Soap, CCA Soviart, Kyiv
2008 Nothing Personal, Gogol-Fest, Art-Arsenal, Kyiv
2007 Confrontation, International Photobiennale, Kyiv
2006 In the Army Now, International Photobiennale, Stockholm
2005 In the Army Now, International Photobiennale, Kyiv
2005 Dreams about Dresden Gallery, Berlin
2000 Clear Room, Promzone, Kyiv
2000 Crimea Atom, V International Art-Festival, Ukraine
1999 Anniversary Exhibition. Foundation for Promotion of Arts.
The National Art Museum of Ukraine, Kyiv
1997 Photosynthesis, International Photobiennale, Kyiv
1990 Autumn Salon in Paris, Glory Gallery, Paris
1990 Biella per l'Incisione International Prize, Graphics Biennale,
Bella, Italy
1987 Baltic Sea Biennale, Germany
1984 VII Graphics Art Biennale, Norway
1982 IBA-82, Leipzig, Germany, Bronze medal
1977 IBA-77, Leipzig, Germany, Bronze medal
evgart@ukr.net
evgart@meta.ua

Telluris Artspace
Project Messages from Paradise

Conception: Mykola Babak, Evgene Matveev

Authors: Mykola Babak, Evgene Matveev
Artists: Art-tandem BM Babak-Matveev
Coordinator: Veronika Ganechko
Editors: Veronika Ganechko (Ukraine), Oksana Nichols (USA)
Technical director, print: Victor Manshtein

Acknowledgement

Tony and Marie Newton

The Four Seasons Garden Authors
Darrell Gulin
Photographer
Peter Talke
Photographer
Michael Swanson
Koi Acres
Vladimir Kostinikov
Local historian

The authors of the project are thankful

for taking part in shooting to the members
of Cherkasy Taras Shevchenko Drama Theatre:
Sergiy Bobrov (actor)
Pavlo Goncharov (actor)
Olexandr Demeshko (stage director)
Mykola Zainchkivsky (actor)
Mykhailo Kondratsky (actor)
And to
Olga Martynova
Veronika Ganechko
Ivan Popel
Petro Nazarenko
Natalia Kuzmenko
Yuriy Oliynyk
Bogdan Marunich
Dmytro Kupriy
Anatoliy Petrenko
Vjacheslav Shramko
Mykyta Jermakov