“When you’re standing under winter skies,
and the heavens turn and sail away,
you know you’ve got to live somewhere you aren’t afraid to die.”
Serhiy Zhadan, Ukrainian Poet

Without any provocation, Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, 2022. The attack is considered an act of aggression internationally. It has triggered Europe’s largest refugee crisis since World War II with more than 5 million Ukrainians leaving the country. As UN Women states, “wars affect women and children differently and disproportionately.” Women and children in Ukraine are being targeted by Russian forces as reports from Bucha and Irpin indicate, and women and children refugees who have left Ukraine are being targeted by human traffickers.

In support of the Ukrainian people, and to protest the Russian invasion, ARC Gallery invited artists to respond to the war in Ukraine using their creativity. We envision this as an inclusive exhibition that protests this, and other, acts of aggression through thought-provoking and thoughtful artwork that specifically addresses the current war in Ukraine and the refugee crisis created by this war, as well as previous and current wars that create a refugee crisis for women and children.

“Ukraine hath not yet perished, nor her glory, nor her freedom,
Upon us, fellow Ukrainians, fate shall smile once more.
Our enemies shall vanish, like the dew in the sun,
And we too shall rule, brothers, in a free land of our own.”
Beginning Stanza of Ukrainian National Anthem

In-Gallery Artists: Tim Atseff, Iryna Chaboryk, Linda Cohn, Elean Diadenko, SP Scotti Estes, David Feingold, Michael Fischerkeller, Donna Fleetwood, Judith Roston Freilich, Nancy Fritz, Deborah Hirshfield, Pearl Hirshfield, Judith Joseph, Louie Laskowski, Alexander Martemianov, William Marx, Ken Reker, Maggie Rose, Irina Visnevscaia

Virtual Artists: Petro Antyp, Gayane Arushanian, Vasya Dmytryk, Oksana Fedko, Svetlana Gavrillenko, Marianna Goncharenko, Anastasia Grygorieva, Tetiana Kopytova,  Olga Kuts, Mariia Lashkevych, Victoria Likholyot, Olga Lisowska, Ivan Lisyuk, Daria Lutsyshyna, Rostyslav Luzhetskyy, Natan Markman, Alexander Martemianov, Sveltlana Mikhalevich, Liudmyla Molodan, Nancy Natow-Cassidy, Serhiy Savchenko, Antonina Semenova, Alina Shevchenko, Nikolay Sokolov, Oksana Svizhak, Andriy Sydorenko, Maryna Talutto, Maryna Vashchenko, Ilya Yarovoy, Mihail Zablodski, Yulia Zakharova, Oleksii Zheltonogov

Video Artists: Tereza Barabash, Mykhalo Barahash, Oksana Chepelyk, Irina Visnevscaia, Nikita Vlasov

Juror: Adrienne Kochman, Curator of contemporary art at the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art in Chicago. Dr. Kochman has a PhD in Art History from the University of Chicago. Dr. Kochman, PhD has been working as an art historian, curator and educator in Chicago and its art community since the 1980s. Formerly Associate Professor of Art History and Adjunct Associate Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at Indiana University Northwest, she currently teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and since 2017, is curator at the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art. Recent curatorial projects include The Ukrainian Diaspora: Women Artists, 1908-2015 (2015) and Reality Check: Directions in Contemporary Art Since Ukrainian Independence (2016); Increment: Barbara Cooper, Shona MacDonald, Yoonshin Park (2018); Raw Reckoning: Michael Paxton (2019). Her exhibit on Paris-based Ukrainian refugee artist Michel Andreenko opens in June.

Opening Reception, Friday, JULY 22, 5-8pm
Exhibition dates: July 21 – August 13, 2022
Gallery hours: Thurs & Fri – 2-6 pm,  Sat & Sun – 12-4 pm

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Tags: Adrienne Kochman, Alexander Martemianov, Alina Shevchenko, Anastasia Grygorieva, Andriy Sydorenko, Antonina Semenova, ARC Gallery, Chicago, Daria Lutsyshyna, David Feingold, Deborah Hirshfield, Donna Fleetwood, Elean Diadenko, ereza Barabash, Gayane Arushanian, Ilya Yarovoy, Irina Visnevscaia, Iryna Chaboryk, Ivan Lisyuk, Judith Joseph, Judith Roston Freilich, Ken Reker, Linda Cohn, Liudmyla Molodan, Louie Laskowski, Maggie Rose, Marianna Goncharenko, Mariia Lashkevych, Maryna Talutto, Maryna Vashchenko, Michael Fischerkeller, Mihail Zablodski, Mykhalo Barahash, Nancy Fritz, Nancy Natow Cassidy, Natan Markman, Nikita Vlasov, Nikolay Sokolov, Oksana Chepelyk, Oksana Fedko, Oksana Svizhak, Oleksii Zheltonogov, Olga Kuts, Olga Lisowska, Pearl Hirshfield, Petro Antyp, Rostyslav Luzhetskyy, Serhiy Savchenko, SP Scotti Estes, Sveltlana Mikhalevich, Svetlana Gavrillenko, Tetiana Kopytova, The Invisible Costs of War, Tim Atseff, Vasya Dmytryk, Victoria Likholyot, West Town, William Marx, Yulia Zakharova