Назва выставы ўзятая з фрагмента верша “Адыйшоушым” Валерыя Маракова (1909-1937). Маракоў быў беларускім паэтам, расстраляным саветамі ў 1937 годзе разам з 22 іншымі беларускімі інтэлектуаламі і грамадскімі актывістамі.

Group exhibition :

We’ll Hold a Wedding on Your Graves. Beyond VEHA Photographic Archive

Artists: Kate Ngan Wa Ao, Rozalina Busel, Uladzimir Hramovich, Georg Jagunov, Olga Anna Markowska, Lesia Pcholka, Katarzyna Sienkiewicz 

Curator: Vera Zalutskaya  
Project coordinator: Lesia Pcholka 
Exhibition manager: Volha Samusevich  

Address: POP-UP Copenhagen, Ingerslevsgade 124 

Project We'll Hold a Wedding on Your Graves. Beyond VEHA Photographic Archive explores Belarusian culture and history from a fresh perspective. Artists from Belarus, Poland, Denmark and Macau were invited to participate in the show. The central point of the project is the Belarusian independent civil photo archive — VEHA. Most of the presented works were created specifically for the exhibition as a result of artistic research on archival materials. Founded in 2017, VEHA archive remains one of the most important self-organized initiatives for the preservation of Belarusian visual heritage. It involves the collection of amateur/vernacular photographs, documenting various aspects of social life since the advent of this medium in contemporary Belarus. The themes of the collection so far have included family shots in front of home-woven carpets, wedding and funeral compositions, as well as images of people against a forest backdrop or city ruins. A separate book with photographs and research texts has been produced for each theme (except the Ruins of Belarus, which is upcoming). 


By collecting, researching and disseminating a visual social archive, VEHA aims to preserve the traces of the country's history, language and culture. The VEHA archive safeguards local historical evidence using amateur photography, especially archival photography from private sources. Its activity helps in rethinking and re-evaluating the socio-political historical context of Belarus and underpins a new policy of memory through horizontal participation and preservation of the history of everyday life. Given that Belarusians have long been exposed to a heavily edited, state-approved version of their history, the VEHA initiative can be considered a manifestation of both cultural and civic activism. 

The title of the exhibition We'll Hold a Wedding on Your Graves is taken from a fragment of the poem To Those Who Had Gone by Valery Marakou (1909-1937). Marakou was a Belarusian poet executed by the Soviets in 1937, along with 22 other Belarusian intellectuals and social activists. The idea of having a wedding on the ancestor’s graves is full of hope for the continuity of Belarusian life, history and culture, as well as belief in the possibility of sharing happiness with relatives who have passed away (rituals dedicated to worshiping the spirits of ancestors and communion of the living with the dead are present in Belarusian folklore until nowadays). The aim of the exhibition, among others, is to make Belarusian history understandable and attractive for outsiders by highlighting universal issues and problems common to different localities and cultures. 

Guided tour by artists and curator: 9.06, 13:00

During the guided tour, we’ll expand on the topic of civil archives, as well as the challenges that the VEHA Archive is facing while working in contemporary Belarus. The exhibition’s curator as well as participating artists will present their work and will be open to answering questions or having discussions with visitors.


WORKSHOP


Address: POP-UP Copenhagen, Ingerslevsgade 124 
Paper flowers making workshop Mourning Morning led by Rozalina Busel

Time: 8.06, 15:00 

We are inviting you to join a workshop with Rozalina Busel, an artist who is taking part in the We'll Hold a Wedding on Your Graves. Beyond VEHA Photographic Archive exhibition. In her artistic practice, Rozalina Busel explores themes of migration, social inequality, tragic events, and related emotional experiences. The connection between physical and symbolic borders is at the center of her interest. The workshop will be inspired by Busel’s installation Mourning Morning, which contains artificial carnation flowers created by the artist. Until nowadays, in many post-Soviet countries, carnation flowers are considered symbols of sorrow, while in other cultures, such meaning is prescribed to chrysanthemums, lilies, etc. Workshop participants will learn how to make paper flowers and are welcome to share their own stories about flower symbolism during the event.