Cinema | Ivan’s Land | Screenplay, direction, camera – Andrii Lysetskyi

Ivan Prykhodko is one of the last folk artists of Ukraine. He is self-taught, lives in the village and everything that comes from under his brushes is naive and honest art. Ivan’s world perception, his inner world is full of beauty and joy. One day Ivan’s paintings are searched for in an exhibition at the Art Arsenal, the country’s main exhibition center. Does he exchange a small village hut for glamorous city life, and a society of art critics and agents?

Being truly happy – what does that mean? Affluence? Power? Acknowledgement?

Ivan, the protagonist of the documentary, lives at the edge of a small village in a house built over 100 years ago. Surrounded by nature, his closest friends are his dogs, cats, and goats, but one can’t find a happier man. The director Andrii Lysteskyj first met Ivan  several years ago when he heard of him being the last master of the once well known tradition of Polissya Folk Painting. ​He acquired his knowledge and skills from his aunt Halyna Kolenchenka, who herself was taught the secrets of the craft by her grandfather Vasyl. Unfortunately, Ivan’s children never displayed the desire to share their ancestor’s passion. Therefore, the artistic hereditary line ends with him, and the family tradition will be lost.

Ivan’s art made him a free man. In his universe, the wonderful sculptures, animals, and birds made out of wood overcome evil, indifference, and injustice. They carry the timeless wisdom of life that Ivan has accumulated over the many years. Furthermore, they display his belief of living in harmony with nature and the urge to maintain it. ​The seasons and force of nature mark the rhythm of his life and provide inspiration for his art.

This documentary is not only about a master painter and a vanishing art form. It is most of all about a happy and well-adjusted human being, living in his own harmonious universe. It’s a person who does not have much in the material world – a virtue so characteristic of our times – but has instead created his own world which he has exposed through his artwork.

Ivan’s example raises many questions and calls into question the principles and values that underpin the way of life in modern industrial societies .

Ivan’s Land won the Best Film Award in The DOCU/UKRAINE National Competition  at Docudays UA in 2021,

“Ivan’s Land”
Duration: 85 mins
dir: Andrii Lysteskyj

Details

When: 21 August, 18.00

Where: Workshops of Culture, Grodzka 5a, 2nd floor – auditorium

Ukrainian audio, Polish subtitles

Admission free