Art

208th anniversary of Taras Shevchenko’s birth

Kharkiv architecture

Kharkiv architecture is experimental by its nature, and imbued with symbols. Red bricks and two-storey houses of the 19th century, constructivist memorial sites, co-operative buildings (the name of a prestigious co-housing project of the Soviet era), and first cultural hubs...

What is the Dovzhenko Centre?

Until 2006, almost all films screened in Ukrainian theatres were exclusively dubbed in Russian, and few could have ever imagined that dubbing in Ukrainian was possible. And, while by 2014 few Ukrainian movies were successfully making film distribution deals, now...

An Egg as an Art Object

Anatolii Boiko decorates the eggshell in a way that surprises art connoisseurs and experienced scientists. An artist from Volodymyr-Volynskyi in Volyn invented a unique technique of decorating eggs — he “dresses” them in metal, decorates them with precious stones, and...

Fighting for Donbas with Art

From the very beginning of the war in the east of Ukraine, artist Serhii Zakharov protested against the seizure of Donetsk by Russian militants. Because of his art installations, the artist was detained in a basement of the terrorists from...

Who is Ivan Marchuk?

This is a story about one of Ukraine’s most famous contemporary artists — Ivan Marchuk, who has created thousands of works of art and invented his own technique — Pliontanism. Due to constant persecution from the KGB under the Soviet...

The Synagogue in Ostroh: Reconstruction of the ruins

One of the largest synagogues in Eastern Europe is located in Ostroh. It has been reconstructed for 20 years by a local, an ethnic Jew — Hryhorii Arshynov. Hryhorii is a professional builder who decided to save the historic monument....

The Return of the Wooden Toy

The tradition of creating toys has lived in Ukrainian culture from time immemorial. Clay, wood, fabric, straw, vine, dough — this is far from an exhaustive list of traditional Ukrainian toys. Despite such diversity, only two state museums are dedicated...