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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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Death is a master from Russia

At the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, while in my hometown of Kyiv, I wrote an essay in German for a German website titled "Russia Dehumanizes the World." The Ukrainian translation of this text, published under the title "The Dehumanization of the World," was included in my new book, "Сплески" ("Splashes"). The essay ends as follows: "War. The Russians are near. Death is near. Death is a master from Russia. We are still here. We, Ukrainians. We, human beings. We,

Empty graves after the exhumation of bodies from mass burial sites in Izium, Ukraine, on Nov. 4, 2022.

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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