Ridna Khata Gallery – A Gallery and Musuem of Art and History
The Ridna Khata Gallery in Kiev is not so much a gallery as it is a museum. Really, the building is an exquisite mixture of the two institutions, as here history, culture and art are combined in an effortless mixture of color and texture. What exactly does the Ridna Khata Gallery in Ukraine display? This is probably one of the few places in the world where you will be able to examine beautiful and authentic examples of Ukrainian national clothes from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Some would classify Ridna Khata as a museum while others see it as an art gallery. Really, with such a strong display of textiles, tradition, art and craft it is difficult to classify it at all. Many specialists feel that many articles on display at Ridna Khata fall under the socialist realism art period since they clearly express the sort of ideals expected of dress and grooming at the time. However, Ridna Khata is more than this. It is a journey through time, fashion and history. In one effortless swoop, it gives viewers a strong impression of what life must have been like for the people living at that time in history. What is especially interesting is that all the articles of clothing on display are authentic. They have not been re-created especially for the gallery. This means that they were once proudly owned and worn by people native to Ukraine. People worked in them, slept in them and shopped in them. Therefore all the items on display in the museum have a story to tell – even though many of them may not be quite so willing to share their tales.
So if you are looking for something different to try the next time you visit Kiev in Ukraine, make a turn at the Ridna Khata Gallery. The gallery is located at 6 Kostyol’na Street and is open between 13:00 and 16:00 every day of the week. Unfortunately the exhibition is permanent so once you have seen it, you will not likely want to go again. Still, it is definitely worth seeing at least once so make sure that you visit Ridna Khata the next time you are in Kiev.
