We’ve augmented our virtual gallery with a physical one. The LvivArt gallery, located at 21 Lesia Ukrayinka Street in the center of old town Lviv, Ukraine, opened its doors on May 31, 2008, with an exhibit from the series of “Mamai Cossacks” by Merited Artist of Ukraine Orest Skop.

Entrance to the LvivArt Gallery

The Mamai – an almost iconic depiction of a Cossack with a bandura is one of the most popular motifs in Ukrainian folk art. For Ukrainians, he personifies strength and resilience, and is viewed as a symbol of their long-fought struggle for independence.

A Wall of Orest Skop’s Mamai Cossacks
at the LvivArt Gallery

Orest Skop has already painted over two hundred Mamai Cossacks. His goal is to create three hundred – in memory of an analogous number of bandurists, kobzars (players of these traditional Ukrainian string instruments) and minstrels executed in the early 1930s in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on orders of Joseph Stalin.

Depictions of two Mamai Cossacks

Orest Skop Speaking at the Blessing Ceremony
of the LvivArt Gallery

Guests at the Opening of the LvivArt Gallery

Pictured from left to right are: LvivArt Gallery manager

 Mykhailo Skop, gallery artistic director Julia Skop, LvivArt

web project founder Jurij Hiltajczuk, Merited Artist of Ukraine

 Orest Skop, and gallery financial director and LvivArt

 site administrator Roman Skop.

Elements of Orest Skop’s creative endeavors adorn both our gallery and our website.