Open Group (Yuriy Biley, Pavlo Kovach, and Anton Varga) Artist Talk and Premiere Event

Join us on July 10 for a seated conversation and varenyky (aka pierogies) with Ukrainian artist collective, Open Group in celebration of the New York institutional premiere of their 2024 work, Repeat After Me.

Open Group was founded in August 2012 by six Ukrainian artists. The collective’s current and permanent members are Yuriy Biley, Pavlo Kovach, and Anton Varga. The structure of Open Group is characterized by a fluidity that allows for other artists to be invited in and join the group on a project-by-project basis. Their practice explores the interactions between people and spaces, seeking to create “open situations” —environments that are unpredictable.

For the High Line, Open Group presents Repeat After Me (2024), a portrait of civilian victims of and witnesses to the ongoing war in Ukraine, arranged to follow the format of a karaoke sing-along video. The work was inspired by a brochure, In Case of Emergency or War, which was distributed by the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and Information Policy and the Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security, a Ukrainian government agency established in 2021. Just before Russia’s invasion, In Case of Emergency or War pamphlets were distributed to Ukrainian citizens explaining how to prepare for and survive in a war zone. These guides included instructions on how to recognize and identify different types of artillery by sound—knowledge that could potentially save lives.

Repeat After Me (2024), features a series of interviews with witnesses retelling their experience of the war, concluding with mimicking the sounds of the weapons they heard before they left their homes. Each then asks the audience to repeat the sounds back to them. Every vignette calls attention to the individual stories of war and catastrophe that so often are lost in news from the front lines, shedding light on those who have lost their belongings, their homes, and their loved ones. Repeat After Me (2024) not only serves as a form of eyewitness statement and proof of the tragedy taking place before our eyes, but it also breaks down the distance between the news and the real victims of war, forcing viewers to find deeper connection.

On Friday, July 11, at 6.30 pm, the Ukrainian Museum and the High Line are pleased to co-host a Meet & Greet event at the Museum where participants will be able to enjoy wine and personal conversations with the collective’s permanent members, Yuriy Biley and Anton Varga, and hear from them about their other projects. Admission to the Meet & Greet at the Museum is free, but registration is requested on Eventbrite.

Register for the Meet & Greet →

Accessibility
We encourage all persons with disabilities to attend. To request additional information regarding accessibility or accommodations at a program, please contact programs@thehighline.org. Program venues are accessible via wheelchair, and ASL interpretation can be arranged two weeks in advance.

The event is rain or shine—the event space is fully covered.