Art and War

Monuments of Taras Shevchenko, the prominent 19th century Ukrainian artist, poet and political figure, considered the founder of Ukrainian modern language and literature, were placed all over the Ukraine since it gained independence from the Soviet Union. Symbolically, some replaced the widespread statues of Lenin that were toppled, thus representing Ukrainian identity, independence and liberation from the Soviet Union. During the Russian invasion, and in order to protect these monuments and what they represent, Ukrainian citizens barricaded them with stacked sandbags, fences and fireproof material meant to shield them from the severe heat caused by the Russian bombings.
 

Together with defending symbols of culture and art, activists created a political installation in the historic Rynok market square in Lviv. 109 empty strollers were displayed in the city’s central square symbolizing each Ukrainian child killed by Russian military forces (as of the date of the installation). The purpose of the installation was to increase international public awareness of the destruction inflicted by the war, the ruthless damage to civilians including children, and of course, to increase international pressure on Putin's regime.

Read more in the department's magazine >>

Prof. Ory Bartal
Lecturer in the Department of Visual and Material Culture