International journalist talks about her work with a Ukraine-based charitable art-foundation and her passion for tennis
Elegant Kathrin Singer-Zaharieva beams at me from behind the table of small artsy cafe Vernisazh on Andriyivsky
Uzviv. She feels quite at home in this area and in the art scene in general, as she lives just down the road from Andriyivsky on Konstyantynivska street.
“I’m confronted with art all the time,” she says with a smile.
German-born Kathrin Singer-Zaharieva came to Kyiv in August 2003 when her husband – the director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Kamen Zahariev, was appointed to work here. However, Kathrin herself was more than happy about the move.
“By that time, my two sons had already gone to study at the University and I wanted to go and live in a country where I could speak Russian or Spanish, because those were the languages I learned.”
Kathrin’s Russian in fact is simply excellent and it’s easily explained. In 1977, she left her home in East Berlin to study at the Moscow Institute of International Relations – the most prestigious educational institution of the socialist world at the time. In Moscow, Kathrin wasted no time and not only improved her Russian but also met her future husband – the Bulgarian Kamen Zahariev, whose name is translated from Russian as “stone.”
Having finished her studies Singer-Zaharieva moved with her husband to Germany and then to London, where she studied international politics and worked as a journalist for German papers.
“I come from a journalist family so journalism was always my great interest. Besides, it’s the best way to get to know a country. I did it in Britain and now I’m doing it here,” Kathrin said.
Currently, she writes regularly for the Austrian newspaper “Die Presse;” however, it’s not her only occupation. Soon after her arrival in Kyiv, sociable and amiable Kathrin made a lot of friends, many of them in the art scene, including Lyudmyla Bereznytska – a famous Kyiv gallery owner and head of L-Art gallery. Bereznytska shared with Kathrin the idea of starting a foundation aimed at promoting young artists and Ukrainian art abroad. Kathrin volunteered for the job and became the vice president of the international charitable foundation called “Eidos”
“I speak several languages and meet a lot of people so my main job at the foundation is to make contacts abroad and find sponsors for our projects,” Singer-Zaharieva said.
However, Kathrin admits the job turned out to be not as easy a she expected.
“Many people don’t distinguish Ukraine from Russia and don’t understand that Ukrainian art is different from Russian. Besides, it’s simply difficult to promote culture. If you want to make a workshop about politics, a lot of foundations are ready to work with you, but as soon as you talk of culture they believe it’s not a major topic. And it’s wrong because the identity of the country is seen through culture,” Kathrin explained.
Despite all the difficulties, Kathrin remained persistent and already can boast some progress reached together with the foundation. Last year, “Eidos” organized a conference on contemporary art called “New Territories,” which involved guests from Odessa, Kharkiv, Lviv and Kyiv as well as art specialists from Sweden, Norway and other countries. Two weeks ago they held a workshop for art journalists in cooperation with the Academy of Media in Berlin, which was attended by people involved in the art scene from Germany and Ukraine.
“We tried to develop a discussion on art, art critique and the place of the artist in society. Our aim is not only to hold more exhibitions, but also to bring art experts and art journalists from abroad to make the Ukrainian art journalists and art experts more aware of international standards and trends,” Kathrin said.
Even though her two jobs leave her little time for leisure, the art promoter and journalist still finds time to indulge in her main hobby: tennis.
“I’m a big tennis fan and I’ve got a good coach. I saw her coaching little girls who were playing much better than me, so I approached her and asked to coach me,” Kathrin recalled.
Now Kathrin has tennis lessons every day, the courts she plays at conveniently situated just one metro station away. Beside tennis, Kathrin also loves music and tries to attend the concerts at the Philharmonics. But although her life in Kyiv is busy Kathrin enjoys it as it is. Moreover, she enjoys being a foreigner in Ukraine.
“One of the reasons why many foreigners like it so much in Russia and Ukraine is because people are usually very interested in you and are eager to communicate with you and listen to your stories.”
“Besides, I simply like the mentality of Ukrainians – they are very easygoing,” Kathrin added.
Another reason Kathrin enjoys it living in Kyiv is the fact that Kyiv is much smaller than the other capitals she has lived in, such as Moscow and London.
“In those big cities you spend so much time traveling from “A” to “B,” while here everything is so close and central. You can even have picnics in the city center. Last week, we opened shashlyk season by the Metro bridge – just a few minutes walk from my home,” Kathrin said.
Unfortunately, the Kyiv contract of her husband is already over and his work will take them both back to London this autumn. However she doesn’t plan to give up her work with the foundation.
“Hopefully by the time I leave, everything we plan will be up and running I can continue promoting Ukrainian art from London. And I will definitely come back to Ukraine.”
Vernisazh
30 Andriyivsky Uzviz, 425-2403
Open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
English menu: No.English-speaking staff: No.
