The Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art is pleased to present

Don't Look Away

Exhibition Dates: Mar. 12, 2004 to May 2, 2004
Opening Reception: Mar. 12 from 6 to 9 p.m.

Photography Exhibit Documents Social Ills in Ukraine

Photo by Joseph Sywenkyj	Photo by Adrienne Kovalsky
Photo by Alexander Glyadyelov

Chicago, IL. — Street children, adults with HIV, hospitals with meager resources and children suffering from the effects of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster are compelling social issues that drew the attention of three photographers: Joseph Sywenkyj, Alexander Glyadyelov and Adrienne Kovalsky. Their work is featured in the exhibit "Don't Look Away" opening at the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art on Friday, March 12. The opening reception will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Sywenkyj, a Ukrainian photographer working in New York, is a recent graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York. His photographs on the topic of AIDS and Chornobyl have been shown at the UN and in several galleries. Glyadyelov, a resident of Kyiv, Ukraine, graduated from the Kyiv Polythechnical Institute in 1980. Awarded the Mother Jones 2001 Medal of Excellence, he is a freelance photojournalist concentrating on long-term documentary projects. Both photographers have worked with the humanitarian organization Medecins Sans Frontieres. Kovalsky, a native of Chicago, recently received her master's degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She has exhibited at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., and at PhotoFest 2000 in Madison, Wisc.

Working in color and black and white, the photographers capture human dignity and courage in the face of grinding poverty, bleak living conditions and sparse resources.

The exhibit, which closes May 2, will be augmented by a panel discussion on "Chornobyl: Still Paying for the Disaster" on April 25 detailing the public health and social activism efforts to address the effects of the meltdown of a nuclear reactor. The exhibit and panel discussion are partially sponsored by the Illinois Arts Council and the Illinois Association of Museums.

UIMA is located at 2320 W. Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL telephone 773-227-5522. The Institute is open Wednesday through Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. For more information on the event or UIMA please visit www.uima-art.org.