Themes by tag: culture

Folklorist Yaryna Sizyk, animation director Mariia Ozirna, and the Kherson Art Museum named after Oleksii Shovkunenko have launched a project dedicated to the paintings stolen by russians during the occupation of the city. According to the estimates of the museum staff, the occupiers stole about ten thousand works of art.

The goal of the project is to try to recreate what was taken by the russians. So far, the team has “reproduced” Mykhailo Bryansky’s (1830-1908) painting “Portrait of a Girl in an Embroidered Dress.” The painting wasn’t just repainted, it was modernized and animated. Ukrainian model and singer Dariia Astafieva helped bring it to life as the artists transformed her into the girl in the embroidered dress from the stolen canvas. For the animation, the team used a shirt embroidered during the occupation by Inna Mykutska, a Kherson guide.

They also recreated the oil painting by Serhii Vasylkivsky (1854-1917) “Cossacks in the Steppe.” Ukrainian soldiers Roman “Dobryak” Kolesnyk and Stanislav “Ref” Zorii took part in the reproduction of this painting. Yaryna and Mariia added the Ukrainian folk song “Oh, There Beyond the Seas…” performed by the band Shchuka-Ryba to this animation.

The founders of the project are now preparing the next restorations and are in talks with Ukrainian influencers.

Yaryna Sizyk and Mariia Ozirna are available for interviews with journalists in Kyiv.

For reference: The russians occupied Kherson at the beginning of the full-scale invasion (March 1, 2022). Ukrainian forces liberated the city from russian troops on November 11, 2022. The occupiers continue to shell the city on a regular basis.

• culture
• russian crimes
• Kherson
• Kyiv

On October 4, the media representatives are invited to the opening of “Memory of the Theater,” a new exhibition that merges theatrical artifacts with modern sculpture, as part of Lviv Sculpture Week 2024. This collaborative project, presented by the Maria Zankovetska Theater and Ya Gallery Art Center, is curated by Pavlo Gudimov and will be open to the public from October 5 through December 1, 2024.

The exhibition will transform the theater’s opulent space into an immersive installation featuring items tied to the theater’s history, alongside contemporary sculptures by renowned artists such as Mykola Malyshko, Olexa Furdiyak, Volodymyr Semkiv, Denys Shymanskyi, Ivan Samotos, Oleksii Abramov, Volodymyr Loboda, Vasyl Hrynevych, Rostyslav Karpukhin, Olha Bezpalkiv, Olena Blank, Vasyl Zvizhanskiy, Oleksii Konoshenko, Hanna Druhl, Yaroslav Motyka, Mariana Motyka, Oleksii Zolotariov, Ihor Kovalevych, and others.

The centerpiece of the exhibition includes a variety of items linked to the theater’s legacy and backstage life, many of which have never been showcased publicly before. These artifacts range from dressing room cabinets, stage models, and vintage wigs to unique objects like counterweights used for moving scenery and old containers for storing props—pieces typically hidden away in dressing rooms, storage areas, and even the theater’s museum collection.

Event speakers:

• Maksym Kozytskyi, Head of Lviv Oblast Military Administration;
• Andriy Sadovyi, Mayor of Lviv;
• Pavlo Gudimov, Curator of the Exhibition and Lviv Sculpture Week;
• Maksym Holenko, General Director and Artistic Director of the Maria Zankovetska National Theater.

• culture
• Lviv

Anna Hin is a journalist and writer from Kharkiv. Lately she has been creating unique jewelry from Kharkiv flowers and tiny fragments of rockets and bombs. 

Anna became the creator of the “Flowers from the Unbreakable” initiative by chance. This spring, she once again brought foreign journalists to North Saltivka (the district of Kharkiv that suffered the most during the full-scale russian invasion). Despite the destroyed buildings around her, the sounds of sirens and explosions, she could not take her eyes off the incredible beauty of the poppies growing there. In the evening, despite the danger, Anna returned to pick the flowers and later decided that such beauty should be preserved. She found information online about working with epoxy resin and soon began collecting other flowers from the frontline town. First she made them into coasters, then into jewelry. 

One day, while walking her dog near the Epicentre construction hypermarket destroyed by the occupiers, Anna picked up small fragments of enemy rockets to prevent her dog from injuring its paws. She filled two bags with fragments and decided to incorporate them into her floral creations.

Anna has already held seven charity auctions of her jewelry, with all proceeds going to support a hospital.

Journalists can talk to Anna Gin in Kharkiv or online.

• culture
• women
• Kharkiv

On October 1, Kyiv will hold the annual “Surma” Military Music Festival, a cultural initiative started by the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in WW2 in 2023 under the recently restored Motherland monument, now featuring the Ukrainian Trident on its shield.

This year’s theme, “Song as a Weapon,” highlights the role of Ukrainian songs tied to the nation’s historic and ongoing fight for independence throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Solo performers and bands will gather under the towering monument to inspire unity among Ukrainians through music.

Due to security concerns, attendance at the festival will be restricted. However, with the help of media partner Suspilne Kultura, audiences will be able to watch the performances via broadcast.

Journalists are encouraged to attend and provide coverage of the event.

• culture
• Kyiv

Liza, 16, has remained in Kyiv since the onset of russia’s full-scale invasion. Recently, she completed the Sound Lab course, a program blending traditional Ukrainian music with art therapy. Drawing from that experience, Liza formed an ensemble composed of teenage girls.

Liza also co-launched an educational project alongside two members of the folk artists Shchuka Ryba. The initiative offers lectures on traditional Ukrainian singing, music, and dance, available to organizations or groups upon request.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Liza in Kyiv by prior appointment.

For reference: The Sound Lab course was organized by the Voices of Children charity foundation for teenagers affected by the war. Over several months, 15 participants from various regions, each with unique experiences of the war, learned traditional and electronic music from Shchuka Ryba band and DJ Chocollab. With support from a foundation psychologist, the teens used music to process their trauma and emotions caused by the war.

• children
• culture
• Kyiv

From September 20 to 22, Kyiv will welcome the “All Together” festival, an annual event organized by Mystetskyi Arsenal designed to engage children and teens in a variety of experiences through interaction, exploration, and creative play. The festival’s program features around 70 events, divided into two distinct sections. The first section, a long-standing part of the festival, caters to children under 12 with approximately 30 activities. New this year is a special program specifically designed for teenagers, marking its debut at Mystetskyi Arsenal’s educational festival. This teen-focused lineup includes 37 diverse events, such as film screenings, theater performances, discussions, and talks with psychologists, filmmakers, and artists. Festival-goers will also have the chance to participate in workshops led by artists, museum experts, book bloggers, and theater directors. Attendees can practice their English, take part in live podcast recordings, connect with peers, enjoy Odesa funk music, and engage in discussions on topics like movies, dreams, and subcultures. Teen participants can also explore career aspirations and join creative workshops led by their peers.

Journalists interested in covering the festival are invited to view the full program but must obtain accreditation in advance.

• children
• culture
• Kyiv

On September 22, Kyiv will host a large-scale festival of veteran culture, Veterans’ Circle, the first event in Ukraine to truly bring together military and civilians. The organizers, Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, note that the event aims not only to provide moral support and create opportunities for reintegration of veterans, but also to show unity, respect and strong ties of civil society to those who have gone through extremely difficult events in their lives.

The Veterans’ Circle Festival is a large platform that will bring together veterans, combatants, their families and all concerned Ukrainians.

The festival will feature six interactive zones: an adaptive sports area, including archery, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball, with an arsenal of prizes. Visitors can also enjoy a literary space, a marketplace where veteran-owned businesses will sell their products and pitch their ideas to potential investors, and photography and art zones where guests can create something special with their own hands.

Journalists can learn more about the program of the event and cover it. Accreditation is required.

• culture
• Kyiv

On September 17, the Museum of History of Kyiv will present a large-scale multimedia exhibition project “Guarding St. Sophia”. It shows the modern russian-Ukrainian war as a result of the centuries-long confrontation between the russian and Ukrainian civilizations with their completely opposite values.

The exhibition consists of three thematic sections – ‘Ukrainian Civilization’, ‘russian Civilization’ and ‘Defense of Kyiv’. The first section will present the progress and the continuity of Ukrainian civilization from the Princely era to the present day, highlighting the  development of crafts and industry, science and education, the church and the arts, the formation of the state, and the processes of decolonization. The second section will explore russian-soviet civilization, tracing its roots to the era of the Golden Horde, focusing on authoritarian rule and totalitarianism, repression and coercion, expansionist wars, and the cult of personality. The third section will immerse visitors in the recent history of Kyiv’s defense against russian invaders in February-March 2022, showing the fate of various towns in the Kyiv region that suffered from war criminals and testifying to the devastating consequences of the russian presence on Ukrainian soil.

The exhibition features artifacts from the collection of the Kyiv History Museum and the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War.

• culture
• Kyiv

Media representatives are invited to attend an inclusive and interactive theatrical performance for children with disabilities, “Symphony of Ukrainian Fairy Tales”, performed by the chamber ensemble of the Kyiv Classic Symphony Orchestra under the direction of UNESCO Artist for Peace Herman Makarenko. On September 14, the performance will be held for the patients of the Okhmatdyt hospital.

The premiere of this performance took place on July 5 in the main building of Kyiv’s Ohmatdyt Hospital, just two days before the russian shelling. As a result, the musicians of the Kyiv Classic Orchestra had to perform a Requiem over the ruins – footage that was seen by the entire world.

Initially the authors of the project hoped to perform the show in the Okhmatdyt hospital several times during the summer. Unfortunately, these plans were thwarted by russian missiles.

For reference: The project is supported by the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.

• children
• culture
• Kyiv

The “Homefront Affairs” residency program, run by the Lviv Municipal Art Center, brings together artists to  create projects aimed at supporting and rehabilitating veterans and those impacted by the war.

According to WHO research, interaction with culture and art positively affects mental and physical health and promotes the socialization of those who are in a state of trauma.

Over seven weeks this summer, 12 multidisciplinary artists attended lectures, participated in practical seminars on art therapy, studied the principles of nonviolent communication, learned about inclusive transformations of cities, and acquainted themselves with successful rehabilitation project cases.

Ten artist-led projects for veterans and their families are currently underway as part of the “Homefront Affairs” initiative. These projects include a range of activities, such as a tattoo training course for military personnel and veterans, painting 3D models of military vehicles to illustrate their service, art courses for the wives of fallen soldiers, a graffiti workshop for veterans, and interactive performances for veterans’ families and displaced persons in collaboration with the Lviv Puppet Theater, among others.

Journalists can arrange in advance to report on the ongoing “Homefront Affairs” project.

For reference: The “Homefront Affairs” programme was developed by the NGO “Cultural Agency “Liniya Vtechi”, as part of UNESCO’s ongoing efforts to support the mental health and well-being of people in Ukraine. It is implemented with the support of the Lviv Culture Hub, the Lviv Municipal Art Center and is financed by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID).

• culture
• Lviv