In the work Repeat After Me, we see refugees from eastern Ukraine who, fleeing the threat of war, found shelter in a temporary camp in Lviv. They share their experiences of the sounds of war. By reproducing various types of weapons, they conduct a kind of karaoke instruction.
While this method transmits simple sound sequences, it is still unable to convey the full experience that exists nearby—the experience that has become the price for this knowledge. This skill speaks to the new reality in which Ukrainians currently live.
Open Group (Yuriy Biley, Pavlo Kovach and Anton Varga) , *Repeat after Me* 2022, installation view, Polish Pavilion Biennale Arte 2024 © Jacopo Salvi / Zachęta archive
Open Group (Yuriy Biley, Pavlo Kovach and Anton Varga) , *Repeat after Me* 2022, installation view, Polish Pavilion Biennale Arte 2024 © Jacopo Salvi / Zachęta archive
Bio
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Photo: Piotr Czyż / Zachęta archiveOPEN GROUP (Yuriy Biley, Pavlo Kovach, Anton Varga)
UA
Open Group was founded in August 2012. The structure of Open Group is built around the idea of collective work, involving people from different fields collaborating on projects for a period of time. The group’s work focuses on exploring interactions between people and contextual spaces, creating what they call “open situations.” In 2024, Open Group represents Poland at the 60th Venice Biennale with the project “Repeat after me II.”
Credits
REPEAT AFTER ME, 2022, Open Group (Yuriy Biley, Pavlo Kovach and Anton Varga), video installation, karaoke, video 17’7’’