The Alternative Dimensions NFT project, which V-Art has initiated in collaboration with the Andrey Sheptytsky National Museum in Lviv, has commissioned renowned new media artists to take inspiration from selected classical works from the museum’s collection. Curated by Eleonora Brizi, the works will cover a wide range of media from performance and graphic design to digital art. These reinterpreted artworks will be exhibited online on the V-Art platform from October 27 and sold as NFTs to raise funds for conservation.
Artworks from the museum collection which have been reinterpreted include pieces by Rembrandt, the school of Lodovico Gallina, Oleksander Arkhipenko, Olena Kulchytska, and Leopold Levytsky. Artists who have been roped in range from Italian digital artist Mattia Cuttini and LA-based illustrator Jesse Draxler, to the Operator duo of Ania Catherine and Dejha Ti, to the founding trio of theVERSEverse. Additionally, noted digital artist Kevin Abosch will donate one of his works from his Survival series to support the fundraising efforts.
For Alternative Dimensions, Kevin Abosch has selected a digital artwork from his Survival series to be sold to raise funds for the National Museum in Lviv. Image: SURVIVAL #276 by Kevin Abosch, 2022 / courtesy of the artist and V-Art
“We wanted to collaborate with Eleanora Brizi and bring together her curatorial expertise with our metaverse and virtual exhibition expertise,” says Yana Kuzmina, CMO of V-Art. “She suggested that it would be a great idea to engage with NFT artists and encourage them to rethink these classical masterpieces in a modern way. The virtual exhibition will be in AR, with live chat enabled for a better experience.”
Catherine and Ti, who have chosen to work on “Study of a Left Hand” from the school of Lodovico Gallina, were drawn to the drawing since the human figure is central to their practice. Their work will incorporate elements of performance and video, and they note, “Our piece also reflects on the new role of the human hand today amidst its daily choreography being dramatically altered by technology’s growing centrality in our lives.”
Image: Detail of “Magic Lines” by Reinhard Schmidt / courtesy of the artist and V-Art
Mattia Cuttini’s “Nicol’s Limits” (left) reinterprets and attempts a dialogue with “Act” by Ukrainian artist-sculptor Oleksander Arkhipenko (right). Images: Courtesy of the artist and V-Art
Cuttini, who has chosen his work “Nicol’s Limit” from his current timefoldables series to create a dialogue with “Act” by Arkhipenko, commented, “This is one of my first experiments with a human figure and the way the bodies are laid down seem somehow connected. I’m amazed how the two artworks ‘talk’ to each other.” On Monday, the work sold for 4 ETH on SuperRare.
Since the early days of the war, institutions of cultural significance in Ukraine have come under attack. As of October 10, UNESCO has verified and confirmed damages to 201 sites, including 13 museums, 18 monuments, and 37 sites dedicated to cultural activities. This project will raise much needed funds for both digitization and conservation of artworks as well as repair and restoration of buildings damaged during the attacks.
Image: Detail of “die_Soldatenmutter” (The Soldier’s Mother) by Markus von Frieling / courtesy of the artist and V-Art
Apart from the National Museum in Lviv, proceeds will be funneled to support the Chernihiv Regional Art Museum and the Kharkiv Art Museum, which are situated closer to the western border and suffered heavy damages during the Russian attacks. Earlier in March, a mine exploded in close proximity to the Chernihiv regional art museum, damaging its façade, completely destroying the restoration studio and forcing the artworks to be removed for safekeeping.
At the same time, the façade of the Kharkiv museum was also damaged by shockwaves from the heavy shelling. The damage to the windows knocked off the temperature and humidity controls and artworks had to be relocated. With the recent escalation in attacks, the need for protection of cultural heritage assumes even greater significance.
Since Russia commenced its attack on Ukraine, the National Museum of Lviv has stored away its holdings to guard against possible attacks. Image: National Museum in Lviv during the full-scale war
“We have realised that people during this war need positive emotions, and that museums are very important for social well-being,” says Ihor Kozhan, General Director of the Andrey Sheptytsky National Museum in Lviv. “That is why we have reopened for temporary exhibitions. Support is required for additional equipment, restoration and conservation materials, repairing damages that were done to buildings and also to restore temperature and humidity controls. Funds raised would be shared between our museum as well as the Chernihiv and Kharkiv Museums which have suffered much damage.”
