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 prize matters because it highlights the resilience and artistic talent of a new generation of Ukrainian artists amid ongoing war. Vasylchenko's donation underscores the deep connection between art and national defense in Ukraine. The ceremony, opened with a minute of silence for war victims, also drew attention to the broader human cost: Ukraine's Ministry of Culture reported that 208 artists have been killed since the invasion began in February 2022. The PinchukArtCentre Prize also serves as a gateway to the international Future Generation Prize, linking Ukrainian contemporary art to a global stage.