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The project Conflicted Art is a collection of paintings, sculptures, and other forms of art by Ukrainian artists that were created right after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It was conceived a few days into the war and was meant to show the war through the artists’ eyes as it was happening in the moment. Some works are an artist’s attitude to a specific event that happened during the course of the conflict, while others show an artist’s reflection on their feelings and their current situation.
The project revealed a theme that while a certain amount of social change or even instability might be useful for an artist to draw inspiration from, the overall conditions and situation in which an artist creates must be at least somewhat comfortable. Otherwise, work might stop or take unpredictable forms. Please see below a map of Ukraine that represents where each of the artists is from and the routes they took if displaced.
Some of the artists stayed put because the war’s front lines haven’t yet reached them. Some stayed because they did not want to leave their families and others had to flee and are expressing their experience as refugees.
An hour-long interview was conducted with each artist. The focus of these interviews centered primarily on three things: a short bio of the artist, where are they now and what conditions are they working in, when the specific work was created and what they tried to say through the art piece. The works are displayed chronologically showing roughly the progression of the war and the people's attitude. Their stories follow.
in private collection
Sergey started as a graffiti artist when he was 19. Over time he moved to print making and graphics where he regularly incorporates his street art background. His works were exhibited at art festivals and galleries all over Ukraine and Poland, most notably the renowned Karas Gallery in Kyiv. They grace private collections all over the world.
In addition to being an artist, Sergey is a trained electrician and early in his career worked for the city of Donetsk Electric Grid Company. This work is a part of a project that reflects on this period of his life: hopes and dreams, disappointments and challenges of a young person just entering adulthood. Light posts, fuse boxes, and a web of wires is a theme here, representing the challenges of everyday life and an ever-present routine. In this graphic the traffic lights are a challenge of choice that all of us are faced with regularly as well as hope and opportunity that the first step on a new route will inevitably bring. This work was made two days before the war and was closing the series. The project was ready to be published at the end of March. Unfortunately, the war made adjustments to these plans.
Serge Simutin
b. Donetsk, Donbas region, Ukraine, 1991
y. active 2010 - present
Traffic Light
fineliner pen on paper, 11.8 x 8.3 in
Created on February 24, 2022
At the time of painting the artist was in his home in Trypillia, Central Ukraine, he did not have to flee and continued to work in his home.
Rusty Trawler (Расти Троллер)
b. Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine, 1989
y. active 2010 - present
Lifeline (the book in hands says “War and Peace”)
acrylic paint markers on paper, 16.5 x 11.8 in
Created on March 15, 2022
At the time of painting, the artist was in his home in Kamianets-Podilskyi in South-Western Ukraine. He did not have to flee and continued to work in his home.
in private collection
Rusty Trawler is a pseudonym that was taken from the character from the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Rusty began as a graffiti artist and studied art history and visual aesthetics on his own. His decision to become a professional artist came to him after watching the movie “Exit Through the Gift Shop” by Banksy. Over the years he developed a distinct style and method that cannot be mistaken for anything else. His work is often a social commentary on current and past events or an effort to expose society's vices. He had personal exhibits in L'viv, participated in events in Slovakia, and took part in art fairs in Kyiv.
This work is close to Yevgen - the project creator, as it inspired and formed the idea for this collection. By coincidence the woman in the picture is essentially the Yevgen's wife. At the time of painting she, just like the woman in the picture, was pregnant, and just like her, she was surrounded by information about the conflict, effectively reading the book about the war, but in real life. However, there is an artist's vision here as well. A line in the middle is positioned as a divider between the turbulent and challenging present on the left and blissful future on the right. While carrying a child, a mother unknowingly projects everything that she is living through, thus narrating everything that is going on in the world around her to the baby. The line is also a frontline signifying a constant struggle between parents and children. First, a child is fully dependent on parents, then they begin to separate from them and the role of the parent diminishes. Time and life often creates tensions and conflicts between parents and children.
Katya Bondarec
b. Sarny, Ukraine, 1981
y. active 2016 - present
Silence
paper collage, 15.7 x 11.8 in
Created on March 25, 2022
At the time of creation, the artist was in the city of Krivyy Rih, central Ukraine, in her home. She had the opportunity to flee but decided to stay to remain with her husband and 18 year old son.
in private collection
Katya is a professional puppet designer and maker. Few years ago she began her foray into visual arts and now focuses on digital and physical collages. Katya uses historic, often religious, works of art as a prism to portray her thoughts and feelings on current events. She was a part of many puppet exhibits, such as Teddy Mission in Dublin and MuñecArt in Alicante, Spain. Her artwork is on display at ArtCraftOil art gallery in Krivyy Rih.
As the basis of her work the artist used a fragment of a fresco ‘The Annunciation’ by an early Renaissance painter Fra Angelico (1395– 1455). The fresco is located in the friars’ dormitories of the former cloister of San Marco in Florence, Italy, which is now a museum. The fresco shows an angel delivering the news to Mary that she is now carrying the son of god. Katya organically weaves a map of Ukraine into Mary’s arms where it looks like she is holding it close to her chest. She is protecting it as her child that has not been born yet, but very soon will enter this world and cleanse it. Mary’s mouth is covered signifying a silent scream and fear that bound people in the face of this evil, leaving with the only option is to hunker down and wait for everything to end.
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Vitalij Zdebskij
b. Yenakiieve, Donbas Region, Ukraine, 1981
y. active 2008 - present
Sent Away
acrylic, markers, color paper, 19.7 x 10.2 in
Created on March 27, 2022
At the time of painting, the artist was in Pavlivka village in south-western Ukraine in his house. He did not have to flee and remained at home.
in private collection
Vitalij is a graduate of the Donetsk College of Arts and Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Art. He is inspired by pop culture and world events. His specialization is graphic art, but he is just as comfortable with collages and assemblages. He participated in many exhibitions around Ukraine, most notably Euro 2012 and the Union of Artists of Ukraine.
While working on this painting Vitalij was inspired by a very specific event. On the first day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine (February 24, 2022) two Russian warships approached a small island off the coast of Ukraine in the Black Sea that had a regiment of only 13 border guards. One of the ships transmitted demands stating: “I, Russian warship,… put down your arms and surrender,…” To which Ukrainian soldiers responded: “Russian warship, go fuck yourself.” This moment inspired the name of the painting.
The painting symbolizes an answer of the Ukrainian people to the Russian invasion. At the center is the Russian dictator Putin as a child in a Soviet pioneer (Boy Scout) uniform hinting at his upbringing and archaic thinking. He is playing with toy tanks and military vehicles showing his disregard for human life just as any kid does not care for the “life” of his toys. He is holding a toy airplane nose of which is deflated, symbolizing his deflated manhood and absence of honor. In his right hand he is holding an oversized toy phone receiver, saying: “Really? Is that what they said?” to the response,“Yes, go fuck yourself!” His paper hat is the ship itself. Child-putin is standing on a broken stool that is barely holding up by a blood red string evoking a colossus on clay feet. Finally, in the corner we see three ballet dancers dancing Swan Lake. This ballet is significant in Soviet history as it was broadcasted by all television channels for three days during the August Coup of 1991 that ultimately resulted in the USSR’s collapse. One of the dancers is holding a Ukrainian flag marking the country that is ending Putin’s regime. The prevailing background color is red and burgundy standing for blood of his own people and now thousands of Ukrainians that is on this man's hands no matter how clean and sparkly his uniform might seem.
Alexander Bondarchuk
b. Dnipro, Ukraine, 1957
y. active 1989 - present
In Jerusalem Jews are Praying for Ukraine by the Wailing Wall
pastel on paper, 13.8 x 19.7 in
Created on March 29, 2022
At the time of painting, the artist was in Dnipro in central Ukraine in his suburban studio. He did not have to flee.
in private collection
Alexander is an architect by training with a wealth of completed projects all over Ukraine and beyond. However, art accompanied him throughout his life. He started art school at the age of 10 finishing in four years, and graduated from the Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture in his native city, while apprenticing with a variety of accomplished sculptors and painters from all of the former Soviet Union. Over the years Alexander used art as an escape from his daily routine, eventually making it his main focus and occupation after retiring from architecture. He regularly takes part in domestic and international art, pottery, and ceramics exhibitions.
Alexander visited Jerusalem in 2010 and was by the Western Wall. Being a spiritual person he had a powerful experience and felt a connection to the place. For this painting, he was overtaken by the photo that he saw while looking through the news of the war. He realized that this feeling had to be expressed. The picture was taken by an unknown photographer. It shows a group of Jewish people draped in Ukrainian flag praying with their foreheads to the Wailing Wall. It is believed that it was taken on February 27, 2022 when hundreds of people appeared at the Western Wall to pray for the welfare of Jews in Ukraine. To see what looked like mostly Orthodox Jews, in their ceremonial clothes, hats, yarmulke, suddenly wrapping themselves in Ukrainian flag and praying for the welfare and peace in the country far away resonated with Alexander. He got to working on it that same day and finished it in about an hour. Who knows what all those people by the wall were reflecting on; maybe viewing the situation through the prism of the war that has been going on in Israel for decades, or seeing this aggression as a new manifestation of the evil that we all thought was vanquished in the middle of the 20th century.
Eugene Baraban
b. Dnipro, Ukraine, 1986
y. active 2006 - present
Military Easter Egg (Pysanka)
acrylic paint on wood, metal, h 10.6 in
Created on April 1, 2022
At the time of creation, the artist was in Kyiv, northern Ukraine, in his workshop. He was not displaced by the conflict.
Eugene has been interested in art since childhood and began creating assemblages (three-dimensional collages) early on. In his twenties he became an art critic, becoming a professional artist in early thirties.
The work shows a pysanka - a Ukrainian painted Easter egg. Pysanka is a quintessential Ukrainian tradition dating back to at least the 15th century when the first true pysanka was excavated. They were traditionally used to protect and ward off evil spirits. While pysanka is meant to be displayed upright Eugene turns it on its side and lifts it above the ground. This way an object that protected supernaturally looks like a bomb, something that protects and attacks in reality. The artist painted it in pseudo-folk style on an acidic green, underlining its beautiful but menacing nature. A stand can be interpreted as a water surface. Ironically two weeks later the Russian flagship “Moscow” was sunk by a Ukrainian cruise missile in the Black Sea.
Aleksandra Markytan
b. Mykolaiv, Ukraine, 1991
y. active 2015 - present
Thirty First Spring
oil on canvas, 31.5 x 19.5 in
Created on April 3, 2022
At the time of painting, the artist was in the city of Odesa. She did not have to flee and continued to work in her home.
Aleksandra was born into a family of artists and picked art to be her career. She graduated from the Publishing and Printing Institute of Kyiv Polytechnic University and Ukrainian Printing Academy in L'viv. Aleksandra is interested mostly in avant-garde and modern art. Her works were exhibited at various art shows in her native Mykolaiv as well as Odesa.
The work illustrates the dangers of aggressive and chauvinistic propaganda and what its influence can lead to. At the top of the painting we see dogs who represent those who carry the propaganda message. The fact that they are dogs shows that they have a master and are not projecting their own point of view. Three figures in between are the targets of propaganda. We can see that some pieces within them are of different color and do not belong to them anymore. In the center of the painting is death. It has no face as we do not know how it looks nor it cares to reveal it to us. On death's shoulders are military epaulettes in the styling of generals willing to sacrifice others’ lives in war for their own advancement. At the bottom are those who are being attacked, who toil the soil and sow their fields, but have come forth to protect their land and country. Thus, in this painting, from top to bottom, we see how propaganda is implemented by clouding the minds of the masses and how those masses are used by the aggressive state to wage a senseless war on those who the state baselessly paints as the enemy.
Elena Alyabyeva
b. Kharkiv, Ukraine, 1985
y. active 2017 - present
Current
pen, marker on paper, 5.5 x 8.3 in
Created on April 6, 2022
At the time of drawing, the artist was in the city of Uzhhorod, far western Ukraine. She fled Kharkiv with her whole family to escape the war and now lives in a school gym adapted to accept refugees. She creates her works there or while walking around the city.
Elena graduated from Kharkiv Art Lyceum and continued her education by taking private lessons. She has a unique and peculiar style where strong, determined strokes and bold colors are balanced by the softness of the subject. The war has changed the mood of her paintings. Her first personal art show was in Kharkiv in 2021 and a few months later she exhibited with the Union of Artists of Ukraine. Her works are in private collections in Germany, Denmark, Poland, and the United States.
The focus of the drawing is the river Uzh that is flowing through the city of Uzhhorod. After a downpour in the mountains above, the river rises dramatically and overflows onto the banks. The current becomes very fast and turbulent. The artist was captivated and mentally swept away by this current that has been flowing through here for thousands of years. The river saw Empires rise and fall, generations crossed it, were born, lived, and died on its banks. It was all washed away by the water. Above is the Uzhhorod Pedestrian Bridge. It is being pushed, almost attacked, by the water to a point where the streetlights are rocking back and forth. The bridge is only temporary on this Earth and eventually it too will be swept away by the mighty river. Hopefully, the strong current will take all of the problems with it, the river will calm down, and we will see peaceful skies in the reflection of the surface of the water. The river is life.
Elena Alyabyeva
b. Kharkiv, Ukraine, 1985
y. active 2017 - present
Raining
pen, marker on paper, 8.3 x 5.5 in
Created on April 7, 2022
At the time of drawing, the artist was in the city of Uzhhorod, far western Ukraine. She fled Kharkiv with her whole family to escape the war and now lives in a school gym adapted to accept refugees. She creates her works there or while walking around the city.
Elena graduated from Kharkiv Art Lyceum and continued her education by taking private lessons. She has a unique and peculiar style where strong, determined strokes and bold colors are balanced by the softness of the subject. The war has changed the mood of her paintings. Her first personal art show was in Kharkiv in 2021 and a few months later she exhibited with the Union of Artists of Ukraine. Her works are in private collections in Germany, Denmark, Poland, and the United States.
In this drawing Elena came out on the street and it began to rain. In Kharkiv Elena never liked rain, but here, in Uzhhorod, she wanted for it to go on. Flashes and even explosions can be seen in the violent sky reflecting on Elena’s experience back home. She watched all of those memories come down, crash against the pavement, and break into million droplets in order to be washed away by the streams of rainwater.
Oleksandra Bilobran
b. L'viv, Ukraine, 1971
y. active 2012 - present
The Correct Bottle and a Pomegranate
oil on canvas, 15.7 x 11.8 in
Created on April 8, 2022
At the time of painting, the artist was in the city of L’viv in western Ukraine. She did not have to flee and continued to work in her studio.
Oleksandra is a graduate of the L'viv National Academy of Arts. She has been the head of the Yarovit Gallery in L'viv for many years and curated various exhibits around the country. Oleksandra has been painting for over 10 years. Her works were exhibited in Paris, London, and Budapest and are in private collections all over the world.
This painting is a part of a series of still lifes where the artist tried to process this tragedy that came to her country and why is this happening in the 21st century. Normally, Oleksandra draws her inspiration from nature and the beauty of ordinary everyday things. However, now the objects began to transform under her brush and gain a new, more sinister, meaning. A bottle, that is usually filled with wine or water, is standing forgotten on a table. Then, the surrounding events are flipping the perception of this bottle and it becomes a weapon, a Molotov cocktail, responding to the new reality. It becomes essential, impatiently waiting to be picked up and used. The pomegranate calms and balances out the composition, but also mirrors the bottle’s newfound meaning since in Ukrainian the words for pomegranate and grenade sound exactly the same.
Roman Bonchuk
b. Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, 1980
y. active 2000 - present
Waiting for the Occupant
watercolor on paper, 22.5 x 32.5 in
Created on April 8, 2022
At the time of painting, the artist was in the city of Ivano-Frankivsk in Western Ukraine. He did not have to flee and continued to work in his studio.
Roman took basic and academic training in painting for eight years. Having the act of painting down he is able to express himself with ease and produce art that narrates modern events, often using known symbols as a channel. Roman’s true passion; however, is large works and particularly murals. He has already set a personal record by painting a work that is 100 feet in length, and already planning the next one that will be 160 feet.
This work was inspired by the famous painting by French impressionist-pointillist Georges Seurat - ‘Bathers at Asnières’. The original shows bathers relaxing on the bank of the river Seine. All of them are relaxing, not caring at all about what the other is doing. Roman turns the situation 180 degrees. Although he uses watercolor and not oil, the colors are gentle but more vibrant and aggressive than the original. By giving the bathers weapons Roman unites them and gives them purpose. The picture that we see here also serves as a warning, right now Ukraine is those bathers waiting for the enemy; but this situation can momentarily become a reality for the rest of Europe if Russia is not repelled.
Rusty Trawler (Расти Троллер)
b. Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine, 1989
y. active 2010 - present
Pyramid of Needs (the word on the foreheads is “War”)
acrylic paint markers on paper, 16.5 x 11.8 in
Created on April 16, 2022
At the time of painting, the artist was in his home in Kamianets-Podilskyi in South-Western Ukraine. He did not have to flee and continued to work in his home.
Rusty Trawler is a pseudonym that was taken from the character from the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Rusty began as a graffiti artist and studied art history and visual aesthetics on his own. His decision to become a professional artist came to him after watching the movie “Exit Through the Gift Shop” by Banksy. Over the years he developed a distinct style and method that cannot be mistaken for anything else. His work is often a social commentary on current and past events or an effort to expose society's vices. He had personal exhibits in L'viv, participated in events in Slovakia, and took part in art fairs in Kyiv.
The most obvious allusion here is to the Maslow Hierarchy (pyramid) of Needs, except it is represented by people. In order to move up the pyramid your more basic needs have to be fulfilled. As you progress up, your needs become more sophisticated and less to do with your physical well-being but more with self- realization. Each person here has “WAR” written on their forehead evoking the war that is going on in Ukraine, we can see fear on their faces as well. More vulnerable social strata are more affected and, looking at their pants, are more visibly scared. In reality those on top are just as terrified by what is going on, but they are covered, protected, and are hiding behind the backs of those who are at the bottom. We can also see here a silent consent with what is happening in Ukraine in particular and the world in general. Everybody knows that this should not be happening but instead of doing something to stop it are adding fuel to the fire.
Diana Zvarun
b. town of Peremyshliany, Ukraine, 1995
y. active 2010 - present
Code of a Nation
textured paste, acrylic on a fiberboard, 7 x 8 in
Created on April 18, 2022
At the time of painting, the artist was in the town of Peremyshliany in western Ukraine. She did not have to flee and continued to work in her home.
Art accompanied Diana since kindergarten. In high school she always helped with everything connected to design and particularly the visual arts. Although choosing a different profession, Diana has now decided to take her talent to a new level and pursue art more seriously with this work being the first that has traveled outside Ukraine.
Over centuries the practice of decorating shirts with intricate embroidery became so ingrained and important in Ukraine that this part of female and male dress gained its own name - vyshyvanka. Each region of the country has its own style of embroidery with unique ornaments and designs. In modern days in Ukraine there is an attempt to represent words or even phrases through embroidery. In this work one “x” represents one lone standing Ukrainian, but if there are many of those “x”es, together, the intricate and rich fabric of the nation with ancient traditions and national pride reveals itself. Banded together all of them form this very design that “decoded” reads the word Ukraine.
Kristina Otchich-Cherniak
b. Ivanovo, USSR, 1991
y. active 2003 - present
Triage
ink on paper, 11.8 x 8.3 in
Created on April 29, 2022
The artist stayed in Kyiv for the first three weeks of war, then fled to a town Korsun-Shevchenkivsky 100 miles south from Kyiv in central Ukraine to her husband’s parents. Later came back to Kyiv.
in private collection
Kristina’s keen eye and her ability to work in any medium is backed by her stellar education. At 12 years old she entered Shevchenko State Art School. She continued at National Culture and Arts Academy in Kyiv and became an appraisal expert. Later she studied for a Master's in art history at the University of Wrocław, Poland. Impacted by a traumatic event in her early adulthood, she channels her thoughts and feelings through her artwork. For the last five years, in addition to being an artist, she became an art teacher in Kyiv and organized a plein air for a group of people in Cyprus. Her works are in private collections all over Europe in the United States.
Triage - the sorting of and allocation of treatment to patients and especially battle and disaster victims according to a system of priorities designed to maximize the number of survivors. This work was inspired by the article Kristina read about doctors in the besieged and now destroyed city of Mariupol. The doctors had to work while the city was being bombed, without water or heat. When patients came, the doctors had to assess the chances of survival and whether to even give their attention to a patient. These doctors were forced to tell parents of wounded children that they would give preference to another child over theirs because his/her possibility of survival was higher. Even if the child was still alive the only thing they could help with was the pain medicine, but even that ran out eventually. The work shows children standing in line not knowing where they are going or if this line would move fast enough for them to be saved. At the back of the line (front to the viewer) children are still visible, they are curious, and even hopeful, peeking ahead in anticipation. But as we move further down the line they begin to blend together forming one single line. The fact that the line is gradually rising indicates the general direction of where most of them are heading.
Kristina Otchich-Cherniak
b. Ivanovo, USSR, 1991
y. active 2003 - present
Hallway
ink on paper, 11.8 x 8.3 in
Created on April 29, 2022
The artist stayed in Kyiv for the first three weeks of war, then fled to a town Korsun-Shevchenkivsky 100 miles south from Kyiv in central Ukraine to her husband’s parents. Later came back to Kyiv.
Kristina’s keen eye and her ability to work in any medium is backed by her stellar education. At 12 years old she entered Shevchenko State Art School. She continued at National Culture and Arts Academy in Kyiv and became an appraisal expert. Later she studied for a Master's in art history at the University of Wrocław, Poland. Impacted by a traumatic event in her early adulthood, she channels her thoughts and feelings through her artwork. For the last five years, in addition to being an artist, she became an art teacher in Kyiv and organized a plein air for a group of people in Cyprus. Her works are in private collections all over Europe in the United States.
After the beginning of the invasion everybody in Ukraine quickly learned that, if you are not able to make your way down into the bomb shelter, the safest place in any apartment is the hallway. In case the windows get shattered by a nearby explosion or the outside wall of the house gets damaged, you would still have another wall between them and danger. Every apartment in Ukraine right now has a space with essential supplies and a sleeping area set up in the hallway. The woman in the drawing is hunkered down, tired and scared of the sirens and bombing. She is alone because her significant other was called to war. She realizes that the safety of the corridor is relative and questionable because nothing would save her from a direct hit of a rocket.
Iryna Nyavchuk
b. Dibrivka village, Ukraine 1973
y. active 2019 - present
Moon Goddess
acrylic on canvas, 23.5 x 15.8 in
Created on May 7, 2022
At the time of painting, the artist was in the town of Cherkasy in central Ukraine. She did not have to flee and continued to work in her home.
In the early nineties, Iryna extensively studied Ukrainian folk art and has a degree in national Ukrainian carpet weaving from Vyzhnytsia College of Art and Design. In her works she is inspired by traditional motifs, giving them modern interpretation. She exhibited extensively in her native Cherkasy, took part in the abstract art exhibit in Kharkiv, and an avant-garde exhibit in Kyiv. Her works are in private collections in the United States, Canda, the EU, and Ukraine.
For this series of works Iryna draws her inspiration on an ancient Ukrainian tradition of puppet-making, called - motanka. In this tradition the puppet is made by weaving pieces of fabric and string and tying them into knots to form a puppet. Aside from being used as toys, they were revered as protectors of the household. In Ukrainian tradition motankas are only made in a woman’s and child’s image, never a man’s, always drawing on an image of mother, motherland, and a woman as a keeper of the family. Motanka in this picture is the magic of early dawn. When it is still dark, rays of light begin shooting through the darkness on the horizon turning it progressively more blue. It is a hope of a new day and that it will be better than what was before. Subconsciously, Iryna painted this at the beginning of May, when the tide of war began to turn in Ukraine’s favor.
Rusty Trawler (Расти Троллер)
b. Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine, 1989
y. active 2010 - present
United States of Blood
liquid acrylic and pen on paper, 16.5 x 23.5 in
Created on May 8, 2022
At the time of painting, the artist was in his home in Kamianets-Podilskyi, South-Western Ukraine. He did not have to flee and continued to work in his home.
in private collection
Rusty Trawler is a pseudonym that was taken from the character from the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Rusty began as a graffiti artist and studied art history and visual aesthetics on his own. Decision to become a professional artist came to him after watching the movie “Exit Through the Gift Shop” by Banksy. Over the years he developed a distinct style and method that cannot be mistaken for anything else. His work is often a social commentary on current and past events or an effort to expose society's vices. He had personal exhibits in L'viv, participated in events in Slovakia, and took part in art fairs in Kyiv.
The painting was created by dripping paint on paper and twisting it. Random pattern that was being created reminded the author of a map of the United States. As he was filling in the names of the states the artist began to realize that the map of the United States must contain much more than it really does. Due to the economic and military expansion and interference, the borders of the United States are where it wants them to be. All countries live in this web of capillaries that are being controlled and constantly infused by the USA. Even in this war Ukraine is vitally and fully dependent on the supplies from the United States and its allies so people of Ukraine can shed their blood for a “bigger goal”. Or maybe Ukraine, by spilling its blood, united all of these countries, gave them this “bigger goal”, and formed this entirely new geopolitical entity?
Roman Bonchuk
b. Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, 1980
y. active 2000 - present
The Temple of Spirit, Heroism, and Freedom
watercolor on paper, 33.5 x 47.5 in
Created on May 11, 2022
At the time of painting. the artist was in the city of Ivano-Frankivsk in Western Ukraine. He did not have to flee and continued to work in his studio.
Roman took basic and academic training in painting for eight years. Having the act of painting down he is able to express himself with ease and produce art that narrates modern events, often using known symbols as a channel. Roman’s true passion; however, are large works and particularly murals. He has already set a personal record by painting a work that is 100 feet in length, and already planning the next one that will be 160 feet.
The painting shows Azovstal Iron and Steel Works, the last point of resistance of the Ukrainian Army in the city of Mariupol. Roman shows the factory as a temple that grows out of the ground. The structures of the steel plant are intertwined with the columns and walls of the temple making it solid and impenetrable. The image invites parallels with the medieval churches and monasteries that were regularly used as fortresses during an enemy invasion and were rarely taken by force. Azovstal was not taken by force either. The soldiers negotiated a surrender and safe passage out of the facility in order to save civilians that were with them, from hunger and constant shelling by the Russian troops.
Denis Cherniy
b. Chyhyryn, Ukraine, 1987
y. active 2018 - present
TV Head
patchwork (pieces of fabric sewn on cloth), 31.5 x 50 in
created on May 23, 2022
At the time of creation, the artist was in the city of Chyhyryn in central Ukraine. He had to flee Kyiv, leaving his recently purchased apartment in Irpin near Bucha.
in private collection
Denis is a trained stonemason and tile layer. However, when his friend decided to start a clothing brand and open a store in Kyiv, Denis offered to make a patchwork art piece to hang in the store. He took pieces of fabric that were left over from his friend’s production and created his first piece. Shortly after, he made another for a second store and felt that he was enjoying the process. Several more works followed, one of them was Jedi Master Yoda, which was stolen by the Russian army when it occupied the area to the north of Kyiv before being repelled by Ukrainian forces. Now, his works have already traveled to private collections in Canada and the US.
One day Denis was watching a Russian blogger asking random people in Russia what they think about the war. What he heard was a certain set of phrases coming from every person. He felt like they were all zombified. In this work, most of the people are not related to each other. They have no feet and are led aimlessly along the black line - the only thing giving them direction. Russian propaganda is continuously coming at them from their television sets where their heads have already turned into malfunctioning TVs. The first two are gone and have nothing but militaristic fervor and white noise inside. The third lady has something akin to a test pattern, possibly showing that she is still trying to regain her personality. A little girl at the end still has her pink childhood dreams with her but even they are already poisoned or replaced by the program. The older TV models with antennae are also a reference to Russian soldiers maraudering TVs from Ukrainian houses as if they do not have good modern TVs at home.
Elena Alyabyeva
b. Kharkiv, Ukraine, 1985
y. active 2017 - present
Heat in the Town
oil on fiberboard, 17.5 x 13.5 in
Created on July 1, 2022
At the time of drawing, the artist was in the city of Uzhhorod, far western Ukraine. She fled Kharkiv with her whole family to escape the war she lived in a school gym adapted to accept refugees. Now she lives in an apartment with her family. She creates her works there or while walking around the city.
in private collection
Elena graduated from Kharkiv Art Lyceum and continued her education by taking private lessons. She has a unique and peculiar style where strong, determined strokes and bold colors are balanced by the softness of the subject. The war has changed the mood of her paintings. Her first personal art show was in Kharkiv in 2021 and a few months later she exhibited with the Union of Artists of Ukraine. Her works are in private collections in Germany, Denmark, Poland, and the United States.
This work was painted looking up from one of the main streets of Uzhhorod. By now Elena’s life has stabilized after fleeing the war-torn Kharkiv and she is continuing her love affair with a new city. Her values have shifted dramatically after moving from a school gym into an apartment and realizing what a luxury it is to be able to simply set up an easel in your living room. This work was done over several days at the end of May - beginning of June of ‘22. It is done in a very characteristic fauvistic style that is more typical of Elena’s pre-war works, with clearly defined shapes, a variety of crisp, bold color that is very well thought out and balanced. As the title suggests, it was very hot outside, and Elena grew to love the heat here. Her hometown is a big stuffy industrial city and heat was never welcomed there, but here it felt lighter and appropriate. The city is drowning in greenery that is highlighted by the sunlight. The church at the top is almost floating above everything in a mirage against a masterfully expressed sky. You can see how Elena is enjoying her new home, so much so that she is considering staying there for good.
Eugene Baraban
b. Dnipro, Ukraine, 1986
y. active 2006 - present
Russia and the Bear
Masha doll, found objects, ink, h 12.5 in
Created in Summer, 2022
At the time of creation, the artist was in Kyiv, northern Ukraine, in his workshop. He was not displaced by the conflict.
Eugene has been interested in art since childhood and began creating assemblages (three-dimensional collages) early on. In his twenties he became an art critic, becoming a professional artist in early thirties.
This work could be hard to stomach for some people due its graphic nature. The work presents a Marsha doll from a well known cartoon “Masha and the Bear” that has been altered. Eugene’s overt antipathy towards Russians can be understood in the current situation so Masha is shown here as a smiling bloodthirsty representation of the “Russian World”. She is sporting a gun and is wrapped in a flag with CCCP (USSR) on it, pointing at the regime she represents. She is covered in blood and has several tattoos saying “vodka”, “stalin”, swastika, “no to Russians”, and Baraban's signature on her leg. There is an inverted Soviet star on her forehead and a trashbag, a somber symbol of this invasion, trash bags are sometimes used by the Russian army to ship dead soldiers back to Russia.
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Eugene Baraban
b. Dnipro, Ukraine, 1986
y. active 2006 - present
Untitled (Rebirth)
assemblage: 3D printing, painted egg shell, foamiran roses, 13.5 x 13.5 in
Created on September 18, 2022
At the time of creation, the artist was in Kyiv, northern Ukraine, in his workshop. He was not displaced by the conflict.
Eugene has been interested in art since childhood and began creating assemblages (three-dimensional collages) early on. In his twenties he became an art critic, becoming a professional artist in early thirties.
Being a rather blunt and controversial artist that usually works with a touchy subject matter, here, Eugene steps away and gives us something very different. This work is sweet and gentle. The color of the roses is chosen deliberately as it evokes the feeling of comfort and an imagery of clouds or a cozy bed. The embryo in the center is laying in broken egg shell pieces that are painted meticulously in the Ukrainian pysanka style. Pysanka is a Ukrainian Easter egg painting tradition that dates back to at least the 15th century. Eugene makes this ancient art form relevant by giving it modern context and framing.
Natalia Shynkarenko
b. L'viv, Ukraine, 1982
y. active 2019 - present
The Power Is Back
vintage chess board, oil, 14.5 x 14.5 in
created on October 15, 2022
At the time of painting the artist was in the town of L’viv in western Ukraine, she did not have to flee and continued to work in her home.
in private collection
Natalia always wanted to have a professional career in art and has been painting since childhood. It so happened that medicine became her main profession; however, she never abandoned her goal of becoming a professional artist. She took private lessons and attended Grausten Art School in her native L’viv, and eventually a number of her works went on display in a few medical centers in Ukraine. When the war began Natalia found inspiration in vintage chess boards which plays well into the current situation in Ukraine. She buys old chess boards at local flea markets and takes the playing surface as a canvas using the squares in her creative process. At this time a number of her “boards'' are in private collections.
This piece has a peculiar history. Natalia began working on it in July 2022, she sketched it out and set aside not knowing where it could go. Then, in October Russia began bombing Ukrainian infrastructure and Natalia realized that this is what this work was “waiting”. Electricity would disappear and whole neighborhoods would go dark. Then, the power would come back without warning anytime it is fixed, even in the middle of the night. Cities would light up suddenly since this is the only time when it is possible to do anything around the house till electricity disappears again. While most of the white squares are lit up, some windows are painted over black. This symbolizes those that left their home as refugees, those that went to fight for their country and essential workers who are at work. Take a peek inside of each window that is lit. You will find life in all its variety. A young family with a baby, a table that is set with a dinner for two, a birthday party for a child, an older gentleman listening to his gramophone, everyone is trying to use and enjoy this moment while they can. Natalia painted most of the windows looking at the apartment building across from her, so most of the stories are real.
Eugene Baraban
b. Dnipro, Ukraine, 1986
y. active 2006 - present
The Essence of the Soviet Regime in One Item
vintage soviet pennant (~1960s), fabric, print, painted over
Created on January 17, 2023
At the time of creation, the artist was in Kyiv, northern Ukraine, in his workshop. He was not displaced by the conflict.
Eugene has been interested in art since childhood and began creating assemblages (three-dimensional collages) early on. In his twenties he became an art critic, becoming a professional artist in early thirties.
There is a perception that the Soviet Union welcomed and supported national development within the republics that composed it. However, it was not by accident that the Soviet Union was called “A Prison of Nations”. In reality national expression was reduced to wearing a national costume during holidays, well known folk songs and maybe a few national authors that were politically correct. Any deviation from the party policy or attempt to overtly define yourself as Estonian or Kazakh, for example, were punished severely. National languages were allowed to exist but only in the shadow of Russian and thus were often neglected. This work is a perfect example of that. Here we see a pennant that is supposed to be in Ukrainian, but several words, and most notably the word “Ukraine”, are misspelled because nobody really cared. If this would happen in Russian it would have been met with confusion and surprise to say the least. Imagine if “American” is spelled as “Amurican” for example. Eugene in the middle writes Ukraine correctly and stamps “bullshit” on Lenin’s forehead pointing at the hypocrisy of the regime he created.
Eugene Baraban
b. Dnipro, Ukraine, 1986
y. active 2006 - present
What is the Difference Between Facebook and the Russian Regime?
paper, acrylic, inc, 12 x 8.5 in
Created on February 7, 2023
At the time of creation, the artist was in Kyiv, northern Ukraine, in his workshop. He was not displaced by the conflict.
Eugene has been interested in art since childhood and began creating assemblages (three-dimensional collages) early on. In his twenties he became an art critic, becoming a professional artist in early thirties.
This simple work is Eugene’s reaction to constantly being censored by Facebook. He is very outspoken against the Russian invasion on social media as well as offline. His overt antipathy towards Russians can be understood and sympathized with and is a way to set himself apart, but Facebook’s algorithm may treat it as hate speech which several times resulted in lengthy bans. In this piece we can see the Facebook logo in Russian flag colors. The dashes in the logo give it an appearance of a swastika, hinting that Facebook supports the effectively fascist regime in Russia. At the bottom right is the uniquely Ukrainian letter Ї (yee) stylized as a phrase “f*** them up”.
Eugene Baraban
b. Dnipro, Ukraine, 1986
y. active 2006 - present
Pysanka, Art of Ukraine
assemblage: Goliath bird-eater spiders, whip spiders, blown out chicken egg, fabric (vintage motanka), ready-made, acrylic, ink, 12.5 x 9 in
Created on February 15, 2023
At the time of creation, the artist was in Kyiv, northern Ukraine, in his workshop. He was not displaced by the conflict.
Eugene has been interested in art since childhood and began creating assemblages (three-dimensional collages) early on. In his twenties he became an art critic, becoming a professional artist in early thirties.
This assemblage plays on the rough vs sentimental, like Damien Hirst with his butterflies and syringes. Here Eugene tries to reinvent and show Ukrainian art through modern form. The coral necklace at the top is a traditional women’s accessory, the abdomen of the spider at the top is pysanka - Ukrainian Easter egg painting tradition that dates back to at least the 15th century. The spider at the bottom has a piece of a vintage motanka - also an ancient tradition of making dolls with rags. The pipe was a traditional accessory of Cossack men in Ukraine. This piece is unsettling, anxious, full of detail and regardless of its relatively small size offers a lot to ponder over. Like all of Baraban’s works this one is also very methodical and precise.
Sergiy Simutin
b. Donetsk, Donbas region, Ukraine, 1991
y. active 2010 - present
Saint Wheat & Saint Corn
acrylic on canvas, 27.5 x 19.5 in
Created on March 20, 2023, commissioned by Yevgen Nemchenko
At the time of painting the artist was in his home in Trypillia, Central Ukraine, he did not have to flee and continued to work in his home. Eventually he moved to Kyiv, Ukraine.
Sergey started as a graffiti artist when he was 19. Over time he moved to print making and graphics where he regularly incorporates his street art background. His works were exhibited at art festivals and galleries all over Ukraine and Poland, most notably the renowned Karas Gallery in Kyiv. They grace private collections all over the world.
Being called the breadbasket of Europe, Ukraine’s enormous role in global food supply became apparent last year, when Russia began blocking grain shipments from Ukraine. This risked starvation not just on a local level but for the whole nations in the underdeveloped parts of the world. Here, Sergii depicts two crops as icons inventing his own cannon. The shading on the crops is meticulous bringing them to life with nimbus and other gold details lighting up the piece. The prevalent black gives the paintings a somber and almost sinister feel. The lines are impeccable yet the visible strokes here and there humanize the work. This series of paintings is an ode to the importance of agriculture for Ukraine. It is a show of respect to the people who went out to the field and sowed and reaped in 2022. Several of them lost their lives because the largest and most fertile agricultural lands were right where the heaviest fighting was happening.
While Sergiy devoted a big part of his life to art his profession remained an electrician. However, after the full scale invasion in February 2022 his life was completely uprooted and turned upside down. His long term relationship collapsed, he left the village where he lived and moved to Kyiv. There he spent the first several months trying to find himself in the insanity of war. He was volunteering for a while, but then turned back to art which became his main occupation. Like for everybody in Ukraine, the war divided their life into before and after; Sergey felt that everything that was before for him did not matter anymore. He burned all of his artwork that was created prior and began anew. His works now reflected the mental state that he was in, they show connection to his country and to the suffering of his people. They became more mature, with attitude, inspired and thus meticulous and masterful.
About the creator of the Conflicted Art project:
Yevgen Nemchenko came to the United States from Ukraine 20 years ago. He has been an art and antiques collector for over 10 years focusing primarily on local and American art. However, when the invasion happened, he felt he had to help the situation in the only meaningful way he could. Yevgen used his network in the Ukrainian art world to purchase a number of works with the goal of helping artists personally and giving them and their work more global exposure. Doing so would encourage a way of looking beyond the often hyper-visual, dehumanizing, and sensationalist media pieces, but instead to look at Ukraine and the wider context of the war through the humanity, creativity, and personal stories coming of Ukrainian artists. Yevgen would like to thank his wife Kristina for her constant encouragement and support throughout this project, his longtime friend, Oleg V., for helping with graphic design and sharing in the costs, as well as a good friend, James Gregg, for his academic eye and editing.