The Nanovic Institute for European Studies announces the opening of a new in-person and digital exhibition “Ukrainian Art as Protest and Resilience.” To coincide with the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Institute launched this exhibition, the outcome of an undergraduate research project, in the Forum, Nanovic Hall on Wednesday, February 22, 2022.
Over the winter break, ten undergraduate students led by Yaryna Pysko MGA ’24, researched various mediums of public art and their role in Ukraine’s struggle to defend its sovereignty. Their research has culminated in this exhibition, which samples the students’ chosen works that range from Ukrainian fashion to children’s art.
In a discussion of the project’s background, Abigail Lewis, postdoctoral research associate at the Nanovic Institute, writes: “This exhibition seeks to highlight Ukrainian protest and resilience during the invasion by Russia and how public art has become a medium of resistance, traumatic mediation, and expressions of identity. Faced with the threat of cultural annihilation, Ukrainian artists have brought Ukrainian identity, history, and culture to the fore.”
The in-person exhibition will be on display in the Nannovic Hall Forum until March 10, 2022. The digital exhibition is available at the link below.
Student researchers: Emma Ackerly ’23, Clare Barloon ’24, Peter Di Re ’23, Libby Eggemeier ’25, Michael Ellis ’24, Anna Gazewood ’24, Jacqueline McKenna ’23, Bella Mittleman ’24, Erin Tutau ’24, Felicity Wong ’24.
Ukrainian Art as Protest and Resilience
A student-led research project.
Image credit: “St Javelin” by Chris Shaw, acrylic and metal leaf on canvas, completed in March 2022. Image used with permission from Chris Shaw and saintjavelin.com.