This exhibition presents artistic reflections on the resistance to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Since 2014, Ukrainian artists have focused on wartime violence, trauma, and the radical transformation of Ukrainian society in the face of war, and their responses fostered an intensive development of socially and politically engaged art practices. Ukrainian art is constantly critically reassessing and articulating new visions of identity, challenging the legacies of colonial narratives, and asserting a collective quest for liberation against the backdrop of contested memory.
As the second edition of a series of research-led exhibitions (the first was shown at the University of Kansas in January–February 2024), this project aims to situate Ukrainian contemporary art within broader research frameworks. By engaging with university communities, this exhibition aims to expand understanding of how art can be both an analytical tool for recording and visualizing violence and wartime atrocities, and at the same time, a reflection of the indomitable spirit of a society striving for final disentanglement from colonial bonds.
Artists have become vital voices in Ukraine’s call for epistemic justice and visibility, documenting the realities of war. The projects presented in the exhibition reimagine postcolonial contexts, comment on reconstruction and regeneration, and reinterpret our relationship with disputed history and trauma, while examining the consequences of military violence on the human condition and the built environment. This exhibition weaves together a complex network of artists’ texts, visual works, and audiovisual pieces to create a cohesive narrative that reflects the struggles and aspirations of a society in flux. Through this lens, we witness how art can foster resilience and hope amidst destruction.
Svitlana Biedarieva 