Co-founder of the Bouquet Kyiv Stage fine arts festival, principal owner of UARMS, and founder of the Quasar-Micro company Yevhen Utkin emphasizes the importance of art and arts festivals during wartime.
"A cognitive war is underway – a war for the minds and hearts of every person. Our enemy has been investing billions of dollars in this war for decades, and we must stand up to him. And this enemy, lacking a high culture of its own, has stolen it from Ukraine… And we see ourselves as warriors fighting for the minds and hearts of people – not just Ukrainians. We showcase Ukraine's high art in various European countries and in the United States. We are revealing forgotten names to the world… We are armed with beauty, of which we have an abundance, and we must showcase it and speak about it," Utkin said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
According to him, the festival's mission is to revive and popularize the diverse high art of Ukraine. "That is why our task is to demonstrate a high level of artistry so that the world can see that we have composers like Valentyn Silvestrov and Viktoria Poliova, and that we have such outstanding musicians, many of whom participate in our festivals. And we are introducing them to the world. We have held festivals of Ukrainian art in various formats in Tbilisi, Oxford, London, Madrid, and New York. "I believe that today there are no musicians in the world capable of playing with the same sincerity and emotional intensity as Ukrainian musicians," the festival's co-founder said.
Utkin said he has no expectations regarding artistic events and "we simply do this because we can't live without it."
"Every day here in Kyiv, when you don't know what tomorrow will bring, new emotions and possibilities open up. A real war is raging. That's why this isn't just art; it isn't just a festival. We are fighting. The war won't end; it will shift from one phase to another. Because our neighbour – Russia – will be right next to us… and will never allow a free, happy, successful country to exist next to it. Otherwise, Russia will fall apart. "That's why art is so important during wartime," he said.
