Ira Lupu, a Ukrainian-born artist and photographer, is set to debut her open-air exhibition ‘Time of Phoenix‘ at Wembley Park in London from October 4th to November 15th, 2022. ‘Time of Phoenix’ is a series of photographs documenting Lupu’s return to her home country of Ukraine for the first time since the war began. The exhibition offers an intimate look into Lupu’s journey and experiences during this difficult time.
The exhibition is also part of ‘Visions of Home,’ a more comprehensive series curated by Lupu that comprises photography exhibitions, site-specific installations, and digital artworks – conveying powerful messages to raise awareness of how, from the perspective of Ukrainian artists, a sense of home has been forever altered.
Ira Lupu is a photographer, visual artist, and curator born in Odesa, Ukraine, and currently based in NYC. She is a graduate of the International Centre of Photography, and Viktor Marushchenko’s School of Photography (Kyiv). Her work has been exhibited across Europe and the U.S., including Christie’s London and Paris, Copenhagen Photo Festival, Rotterdam Art Week, Dallas Contemporary, and published in the New York Times, Vogue Italia, and the British Journal of Photography, among others. Previously based in New York, Lupu returned to Ukraine in May 2022, to help her mother to leave the country.
Although she never planned to create a specific body of work during her time, this proved unavoidable, and the resulting series is one that reveals – intimately and sensitively – all the beauty, tragedy, routine, and rebirth of what she saw. From scenes of missile strikes to those of joyful youth, Lupu’s photographs present a hopeful vision of her home. Despite the continuing sounds of missiles, she describes the importance of being at home during this critical time:
“Life in the country was slightly different than before, but it was not on hold. In fact, it was all full of hope, and a passion for a normal life. I heard a round of ten loud explosions on my second day in Odesa: it was Russia hitting the port right after the agreement about the wheat export was made. I went to do my nails and facial straight after that and felt completely okay to do so. During my time in the country, I travelled to Kyiv, Bucha, Irpin, Hostomel, Borodyanka, Lviv, Vinnytsia, Ternopil, Zhytomyr, Uzhorod, Ivano-Frankivsk, and the Carpathian Mountains. I’ve heard air raid alerts almost everywhere, daily, and I’ve witnessed a lot of grim consequences of Russian war crimes against innocent civilians and their homes. But simultaneously, I’ve never felt that calm in months. Despite the Russian roulette of a danger, there is something nearly unexplainable about being at home in the painful yet critically important historical moment that makes you feel happy and complete.” Ira Lupu
Displayed in Wembley Park’s permanent outdoor photo gallery, the reverse side of ‘Time of Phoenix’ continues its display of ‘In Ukraine: As My Heart Yearns’ – a continuation of an international photography series started in March 2022 to showcase Ukraine’s past and present. ‘In Ukraine: As My Heart Yearns’ includes pastoral archival imagery and recent refugee portraiture by Yana Kononova, Ira Lupu, Paraska Plytka-Horytsvit and Elena Subach & Helen Zhgir.
As part of the neighbourhood’s ongoing, year-round arts and culture strategy, the cultural team at Wembley Park has a commitment to support artists and amplify their voices. As such, ‘Visions of Home’ intends to convey how the perception of home has shifted catastrophically for much of the Ukrainian population – despite the war sliding out of the headlines. By observing how the perception of home has shifted for millions of Ukrainians affected by the Russian war, ‘Visions of Home’ gently celebrates this peaceful place of belonging as an inseparable concept that lives forever in the Ukrainian consciousness. Using the urban landscape of Wembley Park, with careful consideration, as the canvas for art allows the viewer to absorb its power and beauty at every turn, in a subtle yet impactful way.
Community creation through the presence, observation and discussion of art is a key aspect of creative placemaking within neighbourhoods. Bringing art outside of the traditional gallery setting and into the public realm enables the millions of Wembley Park visitors, and the 5,000 residents who call Wembley Park home, the opportunity to embrace culture within their immediate surrounds.
Building on its reputation for music and sporting events, Wembley Park launched its Art Trail in September 2020; since then, it has continued to focus on making art accessible to all, showcasing both local and global talent. Working with leading artists and community contributors, the public realm is now a vast free public gallery of art and culture.
Artists exhibited to date include the internationally renowned such as the much-loved British artist Mr Doodle and Japanese graffiti artist Suiko, alongside local artists including Brent resident Laxmi Hussain. In the wake of the pandemic, Wembley Park’s 2022 Art Trail explored the positive shift in attitudes towards women and a collective desire for change. Launched on International Women’s Day, it included a collection of eight major public realm artworks by leading female artists and assembled by an all-female team.
Ira Lupu: Time of Phoenix’ open-air exhibition is on from October 4th to November 15th, 2022 at Wembley Park
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©2022 Ira Lupu
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