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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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From Oleshky to Mariupol, the humanitarian crisis across Russian-occupied Ukraine deepens

While the humanitarian crisis in the Russian-occupied front-line city of Oleshky recently garnered media attention, all regions of occupied Ukraine face worsening humanitarian issues at the hands of Russia's occupation authorities. Across all occupied territories, civilians face failing water and electricity systems, shortages of qualified doctors, deteriorating municipal services, and mass depopulation, while specific problems differ from one occupied region to another. Petro Andriushchenko,

A woman carries bottles of water in occupied Mariupol, Ukraine, on July 14, 2025.

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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