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Culture

The Hidden Canon: Discover Ukrainian literary classics

A Kyiv Independent project backed by the Ukrainian Institute

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The cover of “Naive My Love,” by Gunia Project, and “Pigeon and Dove” by Primachenko.
Culture

Inside Ukraine's world of naive art — and the Gunia aesthetic it inspired

by Kate Tsurkan

A cat's fur for a brush, crushed petals for paint, and an eye for beauty — as it turns out, that's all some Ukrainian artists needed to make some of the most distinctive paintings of the 20th century. "Naive My Love," a new coffee table book by French publisher Assouline in collaboration with Ukrainian fashion and design brand Gunia Project, celebrates the bold colors, imaginative motifs, and deeply personal visual language of Ukrainian naive and folk art. The book's visuals stand on their own

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New Poland-Ukraine dispute looms as local authorities move to honor UPA military leader

Warsaw has denounced Lviv Oblast authorities' plans to honor the World War II-era Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and its military leader, Roman Shukhevych. The move signals a fresh rift in the already strained Kyiv-Warsaw ties just days after President Volodymyr Zelensky said the relations had finally improved. The council of the western Ukrainian region adopted decrees on Oct. 20 symbolically declaring 2027 as the Year of the UPA, the Year of Shukhevych, and the Year of Oleh Olzhych, a Ukrain

Ukraine war latest: Zelensky supports resuming trilateral peace talks with US, Russia after Putin claims Kremlin readiness

Key developments on Oct. 21: * Zelensky supports resuming trilateral peace talks with US, Russia after Putin claims Kremlin readiness * 'Everything was in ruins' — At least 2 killed, 2 injured in Russian drone attack on Kyiv * Russian Su-30 fighter jet crashes in Kaliningrad Oblast during training exercises, Moscow says * Lockheed Martin delegation meets Ukraine's defense chiefs in Kyiv amid severe Patriot shortage * Denmark guarantees $113 million loan for Ukrainian defense company Fire P

Stay or flee? Kyiv mothers torn on how to keep children safe as Russian attacks step up

Anna Lodyhina, a mother of a 5-year-old, spent many nights on the cold floor of Kyiv's metro, driven there — like many others — by relentless Russian attacks. As her child slept, she watched over him, exhausted by the constant threat and lack of sleep. This is just a glimpse of what Ukrainian mothers have been facing daily as Russia intensified its drone and missile campaign against Kyiv over the summer and early autumn. Mothers are now confronted with the same question they faced almost five

About Culture

Our reporting on literature, films, art, and traditions from Ukraine and the latest news on culture in Eastern Europe.

Ukrainian culture
Ukrainian culture has survived centuries of Russian attempts to appropriate Ukrainian art, silence Ukrainian artists, and erase the Ukrainian language. Modern Ukrainian writers, filmmakers, and musicians — some of whom are serving on the front lines — continue to develop Ukrainian culture and fight for Ukraine’s future.
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