At the Venice Biennale, Ukraine’s Pinchuk Art Centre finds fragile moments of joy amid loss

The Pinchuk Art Centre in Kyiv has transformed its Venice Biennale presentation from a glamorous celebration of young artists into a somber exhibition responding to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This year's show, titled "Still Joy — From Ukraine into the World" (9 May-1 August) at the Palazzo Contarini-Polignac, features works by international artists like Tacita Dean and Julian Charriere alongside Ukrainian artists, as well as testimonials from soldiers collected by former marine Hlib Stryzhko. The exhibition explores how joy can persist amid trauma, with installations including pink scrolls bearing survivors' quotes, light box photographs of bombed interiors with rescued pot plants, and a sculpture of bells with displaced women's fingerprints.

ai weiwei censorship die zeit allegations

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has accused the German newspaper Die Zeit of publishing a “distorted and unjust” article about him, following an earlier incident in which he claims the paper censored an article it commissioned him to write. In a series of posts on X, Ai detailed how Die Zeit’s magazine, Zeit Magazin, invited him to write a piece in July, then revised and ultimately refused to publish it—an act he calls censorship. He later agreed to an interview with Die Zeit journalist Olivia Kortas in Kyiv, where he had just unveiled a large-scale installation at Pavilion 13 responding to armed conflict. Ai alleges that Kortas had not seen the exhibition and that her published article, titled “The Annoyance,” contained distortions and subjective judgments, particularly regarding his statements on arms deliveries to Ukraine.

PinchukArtCentre opens new exhibition at the Venice Biennale

The PinchukArtCentre has opened a new exhibition titled "Still Joy — From Ukraine Into the World" as part of the official parallel program of the 61st Venice Biennale. The show, which opened on May 7 at Palazzo Contarini Polignac and runs through August 1, features works by over 20 international and Ukrainian artists exploring joy as an act of resilience and humanity. Central to the exhibition are testimonies from Hlib Stryzhko, a marine veteran who returned from Russian captivity, which are transformed into sculptural elements. Notable works include a protest performance by Yurii Hruzinov at the Russian pavilion, a video installation of Kyiv rave parties by Malashchuk and Khimei, and installations by Future Generation Art Prize laureates Ashfika Rahman and Zhanna Kadyrova.

'Two of Us' at Simchowitz, Hill House, Los Angeles, United States on 15 Feb–11 Apr 2026

Simchowitz Gallery is presenting "Two of Us," a dual exhibition featuring Ukrainian artists Andrey Samarin and Lera Derkach at Hill House in Pasadena. The show explores the creative dialogue between the two artists, who have lived and worked together in France for the past three years while maintaining distinct individual practices. Samarin’s work focuses on the physical gesture of painting, blending abstraction and figuration influenced by German Expressionism and medieval art, while Derkach’s canvases lean into dreamlike narratives, metamorphosis, and psychological tension.

Lesia Vasylchenko wins the PinchukArtCentre Prize

Lesia Vasylchenko, a Kyiv-born artist, has won the 2025 PinchukArtCentre Prize, receiving 400,000 Ukrainian hryvnia (about $10,000). Her winning installation includes two video works: one reflecting on the shelling during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and another using AI to compress 30 years of sunrises into a single event. At the awards ceremony held on 18 June in Kyiv—a day after a deadly Russian drone attack killed at least 28 people—Vasylchenko announced she would donate the entire prize to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Special prizes were awarded to painter Kateryna Aliinyk and artist Yevhen Korshunov, each receiving 100,000 hryvnia and additional support.

The Emptiness That Will Still Be There Should the War End Tomorrow

"Die Leere, die noch da sein wird, sollte der Krieg morgen enden"

The group exhibition "Looking into the Gaps" at the Jam Factory in Lviv presents works by artists living in Ukraine or in exile, as well as by those killed on the front lines. Curated by Ukrainian artist Nikita Kadan, it is the fourth installment of a series exploring the fractures and diverse experiences within Ukrainian society, with this iteration focusing on the theme of loneliness rather than collective identity.

More artists killed in Ukraine as anniversary of full-scale Russian invasion approaches

Two Ukrainian artists—Lana Chornohorska, a 27-year-old left-wing journalist and artist known for her anarchist and LGBTQ+ activism, and Yurii Kostyshyn, a 48-year-old photographer and artist who joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2015—have been killed on the frontlines while fighting for Ukraine. Additionally, Timofey Anufriev, a 21-year-old Russian-born philosophy student raised in Odesa and son of prominent contemporary artist Sergei Anufriev, was killed while serving with the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC) fighting alongside Ukrainian forces. Their deaths come as the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion approaches next month.

Venice Biennale previews in chaos as war follows art into world's oldest exhibition

The Venice Biennale previewed its 61st edition in chaos on Tuesday, marked by the unprecedented resignation of its jury over the participation of Israel and Russia. Ukrainian artists displayed a statue of an origami deer from the war-torn eastern front, while Russian pavilion participants danced to house music and Palestinians marched wearing the names of artists killed in Gaza. The jury had stated it would not award prizes to countries under International Criminal Court investigation, singling out Russia and Israel, and its resignation has thrown the exhibition's structure into question.

Tania Yakunova’s Expressive Figures Entwine with Plant Life in Digital and Graphite Illustrations

Kyiv-born illustrator Tania Yakunova creates lush digital and graphite illustrations characterized by grainy textures, gestural lines, bold shapes, and vibrant colors. Her work, which often features expressive human figures entwined with plant life, conveys brand narratives and personal emotions, such as homesickness following her 2023 move from Ukraine to London.

in venice, ukrainian artists reclaim joy with tender force

The article reports on 'Still Joy — From Ukraine Into the World,' a collateral exhibition at the 61st Venice Biennale presented by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and PinchukArtCentre. The show features works by Ukrainian artists including Malashchuk & Khimei, Simone Post, and Zhanna Kadyrova, exploring themes of joy, survival, and resilience amid war. Highlights include a two-channel video juxtaposing a Kyiv rave before and after Russia's full-scale invasion, letters from Ukrainian soldiers printed on foam panels, and installations that transform everyday objects into meditations on sweetness and endurance.

AlUla Arts Showcases More than 20 Artists at 61st Venice Biennale

A contemporary art fair called "This is Normal" has been held in Kyiv, Ukraine, during wartime, organized by the Art Kyiv fair. The event features over 20 Ukrainian artists and galleries at the Lavra Gallery, deliberately avoiding any direct reference to the war in its booths or artworks. Organizers and participants describe the fair as a space for cultural continuity and psychological respite, where art helps people make sense of a reality shaped by missile strikes and loss.

Ukrainians seeking cultural escape from war’s brutality find comfort and resilience at Kyiv art fair

The Art Kyiv fair, titled "This is Normal," has been held in Kyiv, Ukraine, as a contemporary art event designed to help society cope with the realities of war. Organized by director Anna Avetova, the fair features hundreds of works by Ukrainian artists at the Lavra Gallery, deliberately avoiding any booths dedicated to the war itself. The event aims to provide cultural continuity, emotional sustenance, and a boost to the domestic art market, which has struggled since the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion.

Artist studios in Kyiv damaged by Russian drone strike for second time

A Russian drone strike on November 14 damaged the studios of Nahirna22, a collective of young artists based at the Kyiv Institute of Automation, for the second time in three months. The attack, which killed six people in Kyiv, shattered wooden windows and left studios covered in glass and rubble, though plastic windows installed after a previous strike in August survived. Co-founder Marta Nyrkova expressed uncertainty about whether the building can be repaired, while the collective plans a fundraising event and a sale of works in Berlin.

‘Proof that life goes on’: meet some of the people working to rescue—and re-energise—Ukrainian culture

Ukrainian cultural institutions and artists are actively restoring and creating art despite ongoing Russian attacks targeting the country's cultural identity. The Nahirna 22 arts collective in Kyiv, which runs 30 artist studios, was hit by air strikes in August that killed at least 23 people, damaging studios and forcing relocations. Meanwhile, the Mykhailo Boychuk State Academy of Decorative Applied Arts and Design in Kyiv, named after a Modernist executed in 1937, was struck by a Russian missile in 2024. Contractors in July 2025 recovered surviving works from the academy's archives, including paintings, textiles, ceramics, and student pieces, with support from UNESCO, the Japanese government, and Ukraine's culture ministry. A new conservation training program and exhibitions like Body/Fragility demonstrate ongoing cultural resilience.

Ukrainian art exhibitions open at five Tallinn galleries for UKUfest

On Friday, the Ukrainian Art Festival (UKUfest), Estonia's first festival dedicated to contemporary Ukrainian art, launched with new exhibitions opening simultaneously at five galleries across Tallinn: Fotografiska Tallinn, Juhan Kuus Documentary Photo Center, Temnikova & Kasela Gallery, Truus Gallery, and ArtDepoo Gallery. The exhibitions feature works by nine Ukrainian artists—Tania Ruda, Taras Bychko, Vira Minailova, Maya Kolesnik, Pavlo Mazai, Viktoria Berezina, Anton Hudo, Roman Minin, and Andrii Palval—many created specifically for the festival. Two charity auctions are planned: one on May 11 at Kadriorg Art Museum hosted by the Kozytskyi Charity Foundation, with proceeds split between artists and medical transport for Ukraine; and another on May 13 at Noblessner Foundry, with all proceeds going directly to artists. Additional works are available for purchase via the Osta.ee platform. The festival runs through June 30.

Ukrainian artist unveils Tender Light exhibition in Cheb church

Ukrainian artist and poet Oksana Zayets has opened a solo exhibition titled "Tender Light" in the historic Church of St. Nicholas and St. Elizabeth in Cheb, Czech Republic. The show features 40 oil landscapes created between 2022 and the present, with the most recent painting completed about a month ago. The exhibition runs until June 21 and marks the eighth exhibition by a Ukrainian artist in the Czech Republic.

Ukrainian ‘artist of pain’ David Chichkan killed on frontline

David Chichkan, a prominent Ukrainian contemporary artist known for his anarchist ideals and avant-garde iconography, was killed while fighting Russian forces in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region on August 8, 2024. The Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications reported that he died repelling an assault by Russian infantry. Chichkan, born in Kyiv in 1986, came from a dynasty of artists and was known for works infused with references to Ukraine's activist and anarchist history. His death adds to a growing list of Ukrainian cultural workers killed since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022, with PEN Ukraine recording 221 cultural figures dead.