Taras Voznyak (, born 11 May 1957) is a Ukrainian culturologist, political scientist, editor-in-chief and founder of Independent Cultural Journal "Ї", director of the Lviv National Art Gallery, laureate of the Vasyl Stus Prize (2021).
Biography
Taras Voznyak was born after his father returned from exile in Magadan (exile lasted from 1945 to 1956). The family settled in the town of Broshniv-Osada. 1974–1979 – Taras Voznyak studies at Lviv Polytechnic Institute (currently Lviv Polytechnic National University) 1980–1984 – Taras Voznyak serves as an officer in the armed forces in the town of Iziaslav of Khmelnytskyi Oblast. During army service he translates philosophy works by Edmund Husserl, Roman Ingarden, Gabriel Marcel, Martin Heidegger, Hans-Georg Gadamer, and Max Scheler. After demobilisation in 1984, Taras Voznyak starts working as a programmer at Lviv Factory of Milling Machines. After Gorbachev's thaw he becomes an activist of democratic movement and co-organises the first general strike in Ukraine (at Lviv Factory of Milling Machines).
Taras Voznyak was close to an informal group of intellectuals united under the name "Lvivska Shkola" (Lviv School). Ihor Klekh, Hryhoriy Komskyi, Mykola Yakovyna and others were part of this group, which was operating in Lviv in the 1980s. He organised the printing of samizdat culturology literature. He translated a large number of texts and also published within samizdat, in particularly the books of Polish-Jewish writer Bruno Schulz.
Editor – Independent Cultural Journal "Ї"
In 1987 Taras Voznyak together with Mykola Yakovyna initiated the creation of the Independent Cultural Journal. The name of the Journal – "Ї" – was thought up by Ukrainian translator Hryhoriy Kochur and linguist Yuriy Shevelyov during the meeting in Lviv.
The first issue of the Independent Cultural Journal "Ї" was published in 1989. Since then Taras Voznyak remains the Journal's editor-in-chief and publisher. With the support from Reform Movement of Lithuania "Sajudis", the first five Journal issues were manufactured as photocopies in Vilnius. The photocopies would be brought to Lviv, and then they were stitched and distributed nationally in Ukraine. This is when Oleksandr Kryvenko, the editor of samvydav Lviv newspaper "Postup", joined the Journal team. In 1995 the Journal was officially registered – Taras Voznyak, Mykhaylo Moskal and Oleksandr Pohranychnyi became the Journal founders.
Independent Cultural Journal "Ї" is published in paper and electronic form. The Journal has long ago transformed into an influential NGO and a think tank. The main issues, which the NGO Independent Cultural Journal "Ї" is working upon, are the issues of civil society, human rights, interethnic relations, cross-border cooperation, multiculturalism, European integration, regionalism, globalisation and anti-globalist movements, ecumenical dialogue, political changes in the region.
As a leader of NGO Independent Cultural Journal "Ї" Taras Voznyak organises and holds numerous international, national and local conferences, meetings, round table discussion, and other events. He is the initiator and organiser of community campaigns on the promotion of cultural heritage of Halychyna – in particular the sculptor of 18th century Johann-Georg Pinzel, writer and painter Bruno Schulz, writer Zygmunt Haupt.
Journal "Ї" has become a cult publication in Lviv. Journal's series have been reconstructing local identities of Halychyna, Volyn, Zakarpattya, Bukovina for many years. Several Journal issues have been promoting the almost non-existent Polish, Jewish and Armenian cultural landscapes of the region – Polish, Jewish and Armenian "uni-verse" of Halychyna. A range of Journal issues is dedicated to phenomena of the cities – Lviv, Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, Kolomyja, Zhovkva.