Diana Popova: Culture is spiritual condensation

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The Journalist Studio was visited by Director of Department of Culture of the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA) Diana Popova. A recognized expert in the field of culture shared the brightest artistic achievements of the city in conversation with our correspondent. A member of KSCA Department of Culture told how the creative face of the capital changed over the past year, and also outlined the main perspectives of cultural development in Kyiv – she talked about ambitious artistic plans for the near future and dreams without which it is impossible to imagine life.

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According to Diana Popova, Eurovision hosting gave a huge impetus to the further development of Kyiv and for country – the level of implementation of all measures taking place in the capital has considerably increased.
«The city’s atmosphere has come to life in completely different areas. So we were ready for football. Its first season in new building has already been played by famous «Theater on Podil». Many premieres have already taken place. Not as much as we would like. But, remembering the fact that it is only the first season, I think it was quite successful. Now four more premieres for season 2018-2019 are being prepared. We managed to revive the artistic palette of the city», – said the head of KSCA Department of Culture.

Diana Popova paid special attention to the individual and public artistic initiatives of institutions either state or communal, or private ownership. Experience has shown that such projects often outgrow the format of local and gain the status of international and professional.
«There have been a lot of public initiatives. «Music city open», for example. This is a private initiative of two girls who were simply in love with classical music and wanted to make it sound it in city parks. The initiative has grown into a large international project, which is visited by well-known artists – both Ukrainian and from around the world. In particular, Youth Symphony Orchestra from Germany has performed there.

There are many similar projects. For example, «Atlas Weekend». This is a completely private commercial project. Last year, they generally surpassed all European records by the number of spectators. Over the course of five days more than half a million visitors visited this event. Kyiv City State Administration was not fully involved, but supported the project. Personally inspired by the project our mayor was happy to help and support in implementing the initiative», – said the specialist.

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Director of KSCA Department of Culture told about ceaseless changes that take place in the city.
«It is very important to say that the city itself has changed a lot for the past year. A lot of new parks opened. Many changes took place in public spaces, where a kind of cultural life arose immediately. Music began to sound, a lot of children’s stories started to happen. People lack positive emotions», – emphasized Diana Olehivna.
There are many definitions of the notion of «culture». Diana Popova shared her vision of this universal phenomenon.

«I always wondered what is in fact we call culture. Culture is a spiritual condensation that comes from people. The spiritually richer person is, the more capable he or she is to produce. This applies to absolutely all people. Why do we always say that aesthetics forms ethics? It provokes a person to change his way of life. People began to appreciate what was created for them. And it is precisely because of public spaces, through city events that we do absolutely on a different level; it seems to me that people become different. And children who grow up in it become different. I think if we continue to have the same pace for a few more years, if we give even more qualitative product, the generations will change in a different way», – said the guest of The Journalist studio.

Art is always about holiday. However, individual things always remain behind the scenes. We learn about them from an information space that does not always correspond to reality. In particular, it is about contests for replacement of positions of heads of theaters and other Kyiv cultural institutions. The procedure for conducting such competitions often leads to discussions. Not always among themselves arguing and discussing specialists in this case. Diana Popova told about the way in which the new head of the cultural institution in Kyiv is elected.
«The first changes took place in 2016 – we began to elect the heads of cultural institutions, which are subject to KSCA, on a competitive basis. This really has a very big resistance to old system. However, now with over seventy establishments of cultural institutions that are subordinate to Department, we have changed more than 36% of leadership. Competitions are always very transparent. I am glad that I am not ashamed of any of contests that we have been conducting over the past two years. It is more than eighty such events now. Competition commission today consists of nine persons. We choose three as the covering body, three more – team in which the leader is elected, and three more represent public organizations. After all, some part of responsibility for which head we choose, and lies in society», – explained KSCA Director of Department of Culture.

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Soon a new cultural and artistic season starts. New premieres will take place, something else will happen again for the first time. According to Diana Popova, a new cultural and artistic season in the capital begins with the opening of several outstanding festivals.

«The season will start very interesting. Last year, the International Puppet Theater Doll Theater Festival was held for the first time. This September, the festival will start for the second time. It will be visited by more countries. This year, for the first time, we initiate the birthday of the Andriivsky Descent (Uzviz). Many civil society organizations and, in particular, the Andriivsky Uzviz community joined the participation. All theaters, museums and open-air squares will be involved. The opening of the festival will take place on September 9th.

In addition, this year we managed to approve the idea of creating the Kyiv Klezmer Fest 2018. In 2018, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of «Hava Nagila»- one of the most widespread klezmer songs in the world, which was created in Ukraine. It became a good start to international festival. We received a lot of positive reviews from embassies of foreign countries. In particular, from the United States, from Israel. I hope that both Germany and Eastern European countries, and the Baltic countries, where the klezmer culture is very popular, will join. It will be such an interesting push as our Podil and, in particular, Kontraktova Square will begin to live in a new way. I am glad to dream that Kyiv may be not only a song capital, not only the capital of football – I dream that it will be the world’s capital of books», Diana Olehivna said.

City is changing; meaning of cultural events is changing, and number of cultural events increases. And how does KSCA Director of Department of Culture developing together with Kyiv changes? Diana Popova spoke about dreams and art of incarnation of dreams into real life.
«Dreaming is the skill that not everyone can do. Nobody taught us to dream about a large scale. Myself I am willing to offer such ideas that rest of people can join. It seems to me that my colleagues in Department hear me. I am pleased to dream that Kyiv may be not only a song capital, not only the capital of football, and I dream that it will be the world’s capital of books. I will work a lot so that one day we deserve this great status. In particular, we are guided by 2021-2022, but we have a lot to do with this time both with libraries, with bookstores, and with popularization of reading.

The City Head is sincerely in love with books. As you know, his mother was a librarian. He reads a lot. And I’m confident that we will succeed. We just have to get to work and work. This is an absolutely real dream, which today is a dream, but it may become a goal», – told the guest of The Journalist studio.
Director of the Department of Culture of the Kyiv City State Administration has been keen on winning the city for the right to become the city of contemporary art «Manifesta» in near future. Diana Popova said that specialists of Department together with «Ukrainian Institute» are actively working towards the implementation of this plan.

«I began to dream more about arts. When we began to make «Kyiv Art Week» through contemporary art, nobody in the beginning really understood it. Although Mystetskyi Arsenal has held such large-scale events for long time, «Kyiv Art Week» can safely be called an event with another and a new level of organization. I want the biennale «Manifesta», one of the most powerful festivals in the world in contemporary art, to be held in Kyiv. «Manifesta» is a migrating festival. And this is not just a fair, but a grand event that takes place every two years in a few months. I want Kyiv to compete for the right to host the festival in Ukraine.

Conducting Manifesta Biennial in Kyiv will be a very vivid impetus for the whole society. After all, those issues that raise contemporary art through that language of knowledge, which speaks not words, but other means, are very relevant. Such questions do not require changes and translations. This is important because people will feel what worries Europeans, and Europeans will see who Ukrainians are while creating art objects. This is a very interesting informational and educational case. We will all change after that. I believe in it», said the head of KSCA Department of Culture.

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