Resistance through art: Ukrainian artists face war with fine art paintings

CAIRO – 29 March 2022: Although Russia invaded Ukraine only a month ago, the Ukrainian people already produced artistic reactions that show solid determination and a special sense of hopeless cynicism.

In her Instagram diary, artist Olftina Kakhidze depicted her daily experiences and thoughts since the beginning of the war on Ukraine.

In a post shortly before the invasion, the artist, whose work appeared in the Whitechapel Gallery and the Manifesto Biennale, depicted herself among gifts of weapons, good wishes from friendly nations, and a battery of Russian guns.

Two weeks later, Kyiv-based Kakhidze but originally from the occupied Donetsk region, painted herself and her home at the crossroads of Russian tanks trying to capture the Ukrainian capital, according to the Financial Times.

Resistance through art: Ukrainian artists face war with fine art paintings

Since 2014, when Russia occupied Donbas and Crimea, the country's artists have been more political and engaged in documenting the impact of the war, changing their focus to resistance and artistic activism as they tackle issues of identity and opposition to invasion, they have become more interested in themes of trauma, contested memory, displacement and violence.

Kakhidze, who has spoken forcefully against Russian aggression since 2014, says that the themes of her art have changed: “If before the outbreak of the war I criticized consumer society, after 2014, I completely changed my focus. Deals of stores became for me a sign of a quiet life.”

A large number of Ukrainian artists have dealt with themes of humanity and resistance to war, including Vlada Ralko's painting of the line between occupied and non-occupied lands. It portrays the tension between a woman standing on the side of Ukraine, and highlights a two-faced military figure shrouded in darkness and trying to protect his mysterious mission in his military uniform.

New series of charcoal drawings by Nikita Kadan's Shadow on Earth focuses on the fate of Russian soldiers who came to Ukraine for war.

Instead of depicting gear or power, a new series of charcoal drawings by Nikita Kadan's Shadow on Earth focuses on the fate of Russian soldiers who came to Ukraine for war, where Kadan traces the moment of death when individuals become a mere shadow, unnamed and unremembered, devoured by Ukrainian soil, as a result of their inhumane actions.