The "Invasio" project was the first solidarity action by Ukrainian artists that openly opposed Russian war in Chechnya. 22 contemporary Ukrainian artists with diverse artistic ideas, aesthetic preferences, and cultural backgrounds, came together with a common purpose: to express their protest against the incredibly brutal actions carried out by Russia in the Caucasus (1999-2000) and to draw society's attention to the Chechen tragedy. Subsequently, they joined forces in projects dedicated to the independence of Ukraine (the "350 Years Later" project) and the independence of Georgia (the "Reflections on the Path" project). They also gathered together in acts of civil disobedience during the Orange Revolution (2004) and the Revolution of Dignity (2013-2014).
Photo by Andriy Nakorchyevsky
Temo Svirely, in creating the triptych "Adamiani" for the Invasio project, turned to photo installation. "Adamiani," ადამიანი is translated from Georgian as "human." The famous diptych by Dürer was "translated" into a black and white palette of photography, where Adam and Eve found themselves divided by a black "square" of nothingness. After approaching closer, the viewer sees that the black nothingness is covered in small writing: the names of killed Chechen civilians whose last name began with the letter "A". The innocent lives lost create a gap between Adam and Eve, the forebears of humanity, preventing them from uniting. Every human life is priceless. Each of us is a human, an adamiani.
Temo Svirely. "Adamiani" (2003), photo installation, 200 x 300 cm (triptych).
Fragment from the central part of the triptych "Adamiani".
