To show solidarity with Belarusians, we are organising a concert of Belarusian music and an exhibition of photography focused on mass street protests. The events will take place as part of the Cross-Border Cooperation Congress Lublin 2021. In this trying and oppressive time of intensified repressions against representatives of media, scientific and cultural communities and Belarusian citizens, Lublin, like other cities in Poland, expresses solidarity with them in the struggle for freedom.
The events accompany the Cross-border Cooperation Congress Lublin 2021.
Concert of Belarusian music ǀ Yegor Zabelov Solo, NaviBand, Isna Trio, Ana Zhdanova
At the concert in Workshops of Culture, we will hear Belarussian artists who have been forced to leave their homeland and now continue their music careers in Poland. Performers: Yegor Zabelov Solo, NaviBand, Isna Trio and Ana Zhdanova, who will present various dimensions of contemporary Belarusian music.
When: 4 October 2021, 19.00
Where: Workshops of Culture in Lublin, Grodzka 5a – auditorium
Free admission
Hybrid event, watch online at: Workshops of Culture Youtube channel.
Organiser: The City of Lublin
Co-organisers: Workshops of Culture in Lublin
Partner: Euroregion Bug
Media patronage: Kultura Enhter
Where: 4 October 2021 (Monday), 19.00
Where: Workshops of Culture, Grodzka 5a – auditorium
Free admission
Hybrid event, watch online: Workshops of Culture – Yuotube channel
Artists:
• Yegor Zabelov Solo
Yegor Zabelov is one of the most original accordionists in Eastern Europe, as well as a composer who makes music for theatre shows and film scores. His music may be described as an experimental blend of accordion, avant-garde, jazz and neoclassical sounds. After performances throughout Europe (among others in the duo Gurzuf), Yegor focused on solo career. He finds inspiration in works of giants of minimal music, such as: Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Michael Nyman, Arvo Pärt, the Finnish experimental accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen or the jazz trio Esbjörn Svensson Trio.
He started his professional education at the age of seven. In 2002, he won the International Folk Musicians Contests in Belarus. He began composing during his studies at the music academy. Havinc achieved asuccess in academic music, he developed interest in various kinds of music, which led to collaborations with other Belarusian bands. Yegor Zabelov has been performing in Europe since 2009, taking part in various events, such as Les Nuits Botanique in Brussells, ESNS, Moers Jazz, Malmö Sommersen, Europavox, Rudolstadt, Vienna Accordion Festival, MENT Festival Ljubljana, or Tallinn Music Week.
• NaviBand
NaviBand is a Belarusian indie pop band established in early 2013. The band rose to international fame when they represented Belarus in the 62nd Eurovision Song Contest in 2017. The band have performed in Russia, Latvia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Poland multiple times. In 2020, during the protests in Belarus, the duo released two songs to support the protesters: “Inshymi” and “”Devochka v belom” dedicated to female protesters.
• Isna Trio
The band consists of three experienced Belarusian musicians: Siarhey Douhushau (Vuraj), Alexey Varsoba (Port Mone, RozdIlovI) and Andrey Evdokimov (Diafilm Live), who emigrated from their country in 2019-2021. In Isna Trio, they combine contemporary poetry with dreamy sounds and Belarusian folklore.
They founded the band in June 2021 in Gorajec, inspired by the atmosphere of misty meadows and Central European poetry. At the time, Gorajec, a village on Polish-Ukrainian border, was the meeting point for various artists during the “Rozstaje” | Crossroads event. Aside from the musicians, participants included writers and literary translators and visual artists from Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary, and Latvia. They worked together for days, exchanging ideas and discussing art. One of the most important results of these workshops is none other but Isna Trio. The band’s compositions are inspired by the poetry of Tamas Jonas (Hungary), Agata Jabłońska (Poland) and Dainius Dirgela (Lithuania)
• Ana Zhdanova
A Belarusian singer performing nostalgic music with a touch of dance notes from the 1990s and the noughties. Ana began her career as a guitarist and continued as a producer, expanding her musical horizons. Ana’s music is universal, there’s something for everyone. The most important component of her compositions is voice, which soars in moments of sadness and reminiscence. Her songs are full of meaning and lyrics transport the listeners to a different world, with no room for tension and daily struggles. The protagonists of her songs are dreamers who observe reality from outside. Ana’s best known musical projects are LILAC, Bonehider, and Lily of the Valley $ Sugar.
“the REM sleep” | Zmicer Waynowski’s photography exhibition
Zmicer Waynowski’s project “the REM sleep” is a photographic record and a testimony of the tragic and inspiring events unfolding in contemporary Belarus. It’s also an examination of the paradoxical phenomenon of non-violent protests of the Belarusian people. The Protest becomes the main form of art, and the Street – the country’s main artistic platform. Reflection, thinking, and artistic statements come later. Here and now, we are first of all participants, documentarians, and curators.
Like Josef Koudelka during the documentation of The Prague Spring of 1968, Waynowski got “too close” to the depicted events. However, despite unprecedented pressure exerted by the regime on independent and foreign journalists and every person with a camera, he succeeded in capturing and recording all main themes of these complex and dramatic happenings. The photographer focuses on being a part of the protest, being with people, showing solidarity and unity. The surprising and beautiful document, his artistic statement, is a work in progress, much like peaceful Belarusian protests. In the contemporary digital world, his choice of tools – a classic camera with a black-and-white film – writes itself into the paradoxical history of protest which in this way becomes an aesthetic revolution.
In November 2020, Zmicer Waynowski was detained during the weekly “Pensioners’ march”. He was sentenced to 13 days in prison under the infamous Article 23.34 of the Code of Administrative Offences. That was the last time he worked as a street photographer in the country’s capital. After serving his sentence, he was subjected to further punishment and repressions and forced to leave the country.
He now lives in Lublin, Poland.
When: 5-15 October, 2021. Outdoor exhibition available for viewing at all times
Where: Łokietka Square
Opening:
When: 5 October, 13.00
Where: Łokietka Square