From the many festivals given the EFFE label, 26 Laureates were announced in July 2017 as candidates for the Award. They ranged geographically from the Azores to Kyiv, from Cyprus to Estonia and in scope from early music to digital arts. The International Jury’s decision was built on national experts’ advice on applicant festivals from world famous fixtures in the cultural calendar to eclectic events known only to a few.
One of Laureates was the festival from Ukraine – GogolFEST. GogolFEST is the only one international multidisciplinary festival of contemporary art in Ukraine. It takes the audience through the most significant achievements in contemporary art both Ukrainian and international. GogolFEST brings Ukrainian art up to the latest world standards. GogolFEST enables access to international scene for young Ukrainian artists. GogolFEST offers residency program that fosters international collaboration. GogolFEST is an educational platform that offers learn-on-the-job training for culture managers and producers due to the lack of specific educational programs in Ukraine.
GogolFEST includes, or is happy to include almost every genre of work that falls outside the mainstream, from circus through on the edge rock music to street theatre and performance art. “It’s a kind of guerilla festival,” said the EFFE jury.
As Simon Mundy, writer, poet, musician, culture and festival expert, has written for EFA, “The impact of Gogolfest has not just been on the streets of Kyiv, however, or in the fact that it has provided a space for experimental work outside the still old fashioned state structures. Oleksandr Butsenko, who is a spokesman for EFFE’s Ukrainian Festival hub, says Gogolfest has gained its importance because it has become a symbol of the country’s energy in contemporary culture and is representing that to the world.
For those who have been part of the journey of Gogolfest’s growth over the past decade, the importance has been even greater, Oleksandr thinks. “Many of the artists and performers effectively started their careers in the festival as participants and then have gone on to start their own activity. Gogolfest is starting to have an effect all across Ukraine – not only directly but indirectly as well.”
More infornmation you can find on: http://www.effe.eu/news/effe-laureate-gogolfest-annual-multidisciplinary-international-festival-contemporary-art