Project "Artists' Association" despite the conscious reference doesn't have anything to do with the National Artists' Association of Ukraine. The title rather hints at the sad irony that accompanies the processes of contemporary art scene formation in Ukraine.

Exhibition in Dnipropetrovsk Ya Gallery Art Centre featuring four Dnipropetrovsk artists from different generations is an attempt to give back the discredited concept of "association" its primary meaning of solidarity, cooperation and communication between spectators, artists, curators, institutions and generations. Under the circumstances when artistic life doesn't dwell in squats and studios as in the times of avant-garde or even Perestroika, curator can become a uniting factor. During last year Pavlo Gudimov actively researched Dnipropetrovsk art scene and got acquainted with Dnipropetrovsk artists. It was he who had an idea to gather them in one space, in the city where they live and work and literally "impose" a creation of a collective from separate self-sufficient creative units. Then it became known that though the project participants Oleksandr Vabyshevych, Tymofiy Stroganov, Oleksandr Korol and Illia Prunenko are nominally acquainted, they didn't have a habit to discuss questions of art and creativity with each other. That's why the role of a curator in this project turned out to be very simple and transparent - to gather the artists for regular brainstorming meetings and to initiate further communication. In this artistic dialogue the participants created a series of new works that definitely do not add up to a collective theme project. Yet it can certainly be said that authors' individual styles manifested themselves in the project the way they did thanks to the constant communication among artists and with curator.

Illia Prunenko's new work "Vartymey" is symptomatic of the project's title. Huge face of a blind man is a great illustration of the present day situation of total egocentrism - in the art scene, as well as in country, in general. Project "Artists' Association" will hardly be able to fundamentally change the state of things. It rather expresses a challenge and presents a specific way to search for a common ground, interrelation and mutual understanding. Yet it possesses

one great and undeniable advantage: the exhibition will be over, but "association" of four people is forever.

The project is realized with support of Ya Gallery Art Centre co-founder in Dnipropetrovsk Pavlo Martynov.