Simka: The Story of Fedir Kopchuk
Currently presented in Bratislava City Gallery as a part of group exhibition “Smoke and Mirrors”.
November 20, 2025 - April 5, 2026.
Curated by Mira Keratova.
Fedir Kopchuk (1937-2024, western Ukraine) was drawn to music by a desire that was stronger than poverty, imprisonment, or incomprehension. As a left-handed musician without an instrument, he began to make his own fiddle from parts smuggled out of factories or found in the trash. Everything he created was outside the rules – in solitude, but with unbreakable determination.
The exhibited works are a visual diary: "Proof that I rest in peace." They connect his extraordinary life, work, and personal archive. The accompanying program during the opening was a "life performance" and lecture by authors Lucia Nimcová and David Petráš.
“From 2022 to 2024, we had the privilege of learning from Fedir Kopchuk. One of his lifelong dreams was to build a seven-string fiddle capable of accompanying singers of all vocal ranges. We commissioned him to create the instrument, and it was completed shortly before his unexpected passing in March 2024.”
The research was supported by Fond na podporu umenia (Slovak Arts Council) and Konrad Boehmer Foundation, Netherlands.
“Remember: plum wood is beautiful, but it is deaf. It does not play; it does not make any sound.
I sat in the prison for the sake of music, so I only play what I want to play. In the 70s, the repertoire of wedding music changed, so I went to sell woolen carpets with my lover. Thanks to this, I had time to invent and build musical instruments. I collected broken, old pieces, disassembled them and tried to understand their construction. Everything I made either worked, or I burned it in the oven and searched further. Trial and error.”
