Fredericton art show explores the meaning of ‘home’

Misha Milchenko, curator of Fredericton’s Multicultural Art Exhibition, explains that the word “home” has many different meanings.

Those many meanings are on display at an art exhibition that began in November and that runs until the end of this month.

“Everybody has their own definitions of home. Some of them are not super happy, cheerful depictions,” he says.

A piece in the exhibition features the image of a stone courtyard with what looks like a bloodied fence. Below the piece is a paper titled, “Liberation of Syria.”

Milchenko, who works with the Multicultural Association of Fredericton, organized the display of paintings and sculptures, which involved over 100 artists from 30 different countries, in three months. It was finished in time to go on display for Christmas and the New Brunswick Lieutenant Governor’s annual New Year’s levee on Jan. 1.

“It’s a really great way for all of us, who may not understand what it’s like to come to a new country, to see what home means through their eyes,” Lt-Gov. Brenda Murphy said.

One room includes art done by children. One piece in that room, called Homes, Spaces and Memory, is made by teenagers from Sudan and Democratic Republic of the Congo. It includes structures resembling homes made out of photographs. Milchenko said his co-worker organized those pieces in classes.

Carolina Correa visited the display while attending the levee with her father, who was visiting from Brazil.

“It’s amazing, it’s beautiful. Being a newcomer myself, it’s great just to see all the different art and everything from people around the world,” she said.

Viktoriia Kyrychuk, an artist from Ukraine, painted a picture of people surfing on an ocean.

“Every summer we went to the Black Sea. It reminds me about my child time, family time, because it was our little tradition in our own family,” she said.

Milchenko said he hopes the show will help some local artists gain recognition.

“I wanted to help artists find work here, because there’s a lot of great multicultural artists,” he said.

Milchenko has some of his own art displayed around the show as well.

“There’s such a joy to just walk around and see people appreciating your work,” he said.

The show began on Nov. 8, 2023, and will run until Jan. 31.