Copy/Past

In this exhibition project, Andriy Boyarov resorts to the practice of appropriation to draw attention to the issues of studying and preserving the archives of artists and photographers who worked in Lviv in the first half of the 20th century.

“The works used in this project are original. They belong to outstanding figures of the pre-war Lviv scene of then-new media — photography and film. Among them are Janina Miejecka, Witold Romer, Noe Lissa, and Vladyslav Bednarchuk. Despite the fact that the level of their works was in harmony with the contemporary global modernist searches, locally they practically did not have and still do not have the status of ‘artists.’ They also do not fall under the definition of ‘amateurs’ (even in the best sense), and most often their education and professional activities were outside artistic aspirations. I enlarge their works compared to the originals, but probably do not exaggerate — in relation to the (in)appropriate place they now hold as global players in the local history of arts,” emphasizes the artist.