Performance of female choir accompanying The Shield exhibition
Gunia Nowik Gallery
Bracka 20a, Warsaw
Saturday, Jan 18, 2025
6 pm
To welcome the new year, we are delighted to invite you to a special performance by Spievy, a women’s choir of Belarusian and Ukrainian emigrants. The choir performs traditional songs from Belarus and the borderlands of Slavic territories, including Poland, Ukraine, and Lithuania. Their repertoire draws from ancient melodies once sung by women during pagan ceremonies and rituals.
These songs, though deceptively simple, hold deep symbolic meaning, reflecting interactions between humans, nature, and one another. They narrate pivotal life moments and rites of passage, such as leaving one’s mother, transitioning from maidenhood to marriage, childbirth, and funerals. The performance will end with a feast symbolizing prosperity for the new year. The evening will also bring together artists from our current group show, The Shield, alongside Liberty Adrien, curator at Portikus Frankfurt and author of the exhibition text accompanying the show.
Art Director: Rusia Šukiurava
Director: Palina Dabrowolska
Feast Set Designer: Eleonora Rogińska
Supported by: Jakub Antosz, Katarzyna Legendź, Radek Nowik, Karolina Zajączkowska, Eden Bistro, Natural Rascal
Preserving Belarusian culture, supporting women in exile, and fostering unity through shared traditions.
Design by Post Studio Noviki