Heroes is one of the most difficult and conflict topic in the society. Under changing circumstances the recognized at one time hero can become an antihero or go out into oblivion. Or other situation: the same character is perceived by different parts of the society as a hero and antihero simultaneously. Who are  these heroes? Where they come from and why we need them? We invited different artists to 3-days workshop. At first they studied this theme, and then presented the results of their creative researches on an exhibition «(SUPER)Heroes : reloading». 

 

November, 7, 2015. People crowd near bomb-proof shelter in the center Kherson. However an occasion is peaceful absolutely – people came to the exhibition of contemporary art. Narrow corridors and small rooms create a whole labyrinth and filling that you appear inside of somebody's consciousness and wander through convolutions of brain. Authors invited visitors to think above phenomenon of «hero» and feeling of «heroism» using photos, video, and installations.

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The palette of the created characters appeared enormous wide – from Main Boy of a district («Bloke’s God» by Oleksand Zhukovskiy) to multicultural quasi-cult (installation of Rina Vasil'chenko), from the cosmonaut-researcher of ordinary apartment (video by Dmytro Balin’) to the ghosts of ecocatastrophe (photo and installation by Arthur and Albert Aymetov) and Phantom of Communism by Vladimir Ragulskiy. One authors fixed reality, others used hypertrophy of certain aspects, analyzed past and its heroes and created reflections, and somebody built situation without visible hero but with feeling that he/she is needed. 

So, do heroes appear when they are really needed? 

Do we create heroes, when we need them? 

Or somebody creates heroes for us? And if so – who they are, these creators of our heroes? Hollywood scriptwriters, aliens, political technologists? 

Of course for the talk about modern heroes we chosen the not simplest form – contemporary art, however exactly ability to think distinguishes nation from crowd.   

 

Workshop "Art-approach to dialog" is the part of the project "From destruction to creation. Ways of reconciliation in Ukrainian society» which is realized in partnership with NGO «Fund of community of city of Kherson «Defense», together with Institute on international cooperation of Association of people’s universities of Germany (DVV International) and public organization “Informational-researching center "Integration and development» with support of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany.

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