Ukrainian artists depict life at war in Rome exhibition
Rome, Jun 10 (EFE).- The Captured House exhibition opened on Friday in Rome to showcase the works by Ukrainian contemporary artists documenting the war in Ukraine and encouraging international audiences to reflect on the conflict.
Some 200 works by 50 Ukrainian artists will be displayed at the WeGil cultural hub in Rome from June 10 to 16 before moving to Paris and Amsterdam and after having already stopped in Berlin.
The exhibition aims to encourage international visitors to speak of Europe as “our common home” and depict the war beyond graphic pictures of fighting.
“The exhibition of course is about war but it is first of all about the humanitarian catastrophe that happened. I wanted to show it more like how the lives of people have changed. You won’t see weapons or aggression, military stuff, you will mainly see human reaction and life,” the exhibition’s curator, Katya Taylor, told Efe.
The war in Ukraine is documented in different artforms including painting, photography, symbols and interpretations to immerse the viewer in the tragedy of the war while appealing to values of peace, justice and equality.
Taylor said that the artists started exhibiting their work after the Russian invasion began on February 24.
“Some did it as a form of therapy and others to express their position in the face of Russia’s military aggression,” she said.
Interpretations of the conflict, criticism of Russian president Vladimir Putin, the portrayal of refugees and the oppression of Ukrainian people over the years are some of the themes embodied in the works of Alevtina Kakhidze, Vlada Ralko, Evgeniy Maloletka and Masha Shubina, among others.
“I want to show that our nation is strong, that it encountered evil and that it is trying to save its life, but also the life of animals and above all, to maintain humanity,” Taylor said.
The exhibition will also display some objects donated by a survivor after his house was burnt down in the war.
The objects include a burned ironing board, a radiator, a door and a charred bicycle in a way to bring the audience closer to a war that feels far, but is still raging. EFE
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