33 Senses
intervention
 

"33 Senses" is a piano concerto composed during the occupation and under shelling in Energodar. Olga Popova, a Ukrainian composer, arrived with her family from Energodar just three weeks ago. While living under occupation and witnessing the destruction of her hometown, she found a way to survive. She did not hide in a bunker. For 33 days, she composed pieces and played the piano, creating music amid the shelling and the deathly silence. Thoughts, emotions, and feelings were translated into a series of piano pieces, each of which is a work of art born out of pain. Together, they form a story of survival—a story told through music.

In her hometown of Energodar, Olga left everything behind but took with her the most precious things to her heart. She carefully packed them into a suitcase, the very same suitcase that now forms part of her exhibition.

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Olga Popova not only managed to preserve her inner strength and find a way to express her emotions through music in the hardest of times, but she also created something that is important not only for her, but for everyone who experiences similar hardships. In such conditions, music becomes not just art, but an act of survival—a way to preserve the connection to life and humanity.

This music resonates and conveys the atmosphere of that time. It carries incredible emotional depth, telling a story through sound. Each piece carries within it the experience and strength of will.

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Olga Popova performed her piano concerto at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, during a drawing class. The students listened to her music while creating drawings inspired by it. This unique interaction between sound and visual art allowed the students to experience the deep emotional layers of Olga’s compositions, translating the music into their own artistic expressions. It was a beautiful convergence of two forms of art—music and drawing—each inspired by the raw emotions and strength conveyed through Olga's pieces, allowing for a truly immersive and collaborative experience.

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The second performance took place at FLUC in Vienna, where Olga Popova presented her piano concerto in a dynamic and alternative setting. FLUC, known for its vibrant cultural atmosphere, provided a unique backdrop for the emotional depth of Olga's music. This performance further bridged the gap between art forms and communities, offering the audience a powerful experience of survival, resilience, and hope through music. It was another moment of artistic expression that transcended the immediate struggles and brought people together, uniting them through the universal language of art.

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Yana Gryniv, curator of the event: "When I first met Olga, I was deeply moved by her story, her inner strength, and her positive energy. Living in conditions where one does not know what the next moment will bring, unsure if her family will survive or if the next day will come, losing everything—yet still, people are capable of creating art, of cherishing every moment of life, and holding on to firm belief in a peaceful future."

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Date: December 7, 2022

Venues:

Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien

FLUC_Wanne, Vienna

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Artist, Composer, Pianist: Olga Popova

Curated by Yana Gryniv​

Organized by: Art Contact Ukraine, 

Associate Professor Veronika Dirnhofer, Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna

Ursula Maria Probst, organizer of the event at Fluc
Maria Yeroshkina, Video
With the support of Office Ukraine. Shelter for Ukrainian Artists