Living in a War Zone: The Art of Resistance
Vibrant birds, fish, and religious symbols: welcome to the house of Polina Rayko. Well, what it used to be.
Rayko wasn’t a painter by trade. Because she lived in the poor farming village of Oleshky, Kherson, Rayko couldn’t afford a TV and barely even read the newspaper. After surviving World War II, the death of her loved ones, and her son’s battle with addiction, she turned to art to process her grief. Her inspiration was the world around her and Ukrainian folk-art from religious postcards and everyday packaging, like chocolate wrappers.
Rayko’s work became a cultural phenomenon. Up until her death in 2004, people from all over Ukraine flocked to her home, touched by her story and her art. She even gained the support of mainstream Ukrainian artists like Viacheslav Mashnytskyi.
Then came Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Kherson, the region containing Rayko’s town, was overtaken by Russian soldiers, who set up a “military-civilian administration”, forcing residents to vote for Russian leaders, renounce Ukrainian sovereignty, and do things so horrible I’m not sure I want to name them. When the Ukrainian army won back Kherson, Russian soldiers retreated, stealing everything they could get their hands on: toilets, zoo animals, statues, paintings, and ancient books. Over 15,000 one-of-a-kind artifacts have been looted by Russian soldiers in Kherson alone, and the overall amount of stolen art is the biggest since the Nazi’s art heists during World War II. Mashnytskyi, a famous Ukrainian artist in his own right, went missing when Russian soldiers retreated. His house was found with the furniture overturned and traces of bloodstains.
Over the summer, fighting caused the Kakhovka Dibrova dam to burst, flooding large parts of Ukraine, including Oleshky. No one knows if Rayko's house is still standing, let alone if her art still graces the walls. But her doves remain part of the public unconsciousness, where they’ve become a symbol of Ukraine’s resilience.
Today, modern Ukrainian artists continue supporting their country through their work. At the Lviv Municipal Arts Center, children attend art therapy while volunteers collect remnants of exploded missiles and other Russian weapons. As the war has gone on, Western support has decreased, so Ukrainian artists have turned to painting these remnants and auctioning them off to support their armed forces.
Performing arts have also become a mode of resistance. When Putin invaded Ukraine, he claimed Ukrainian language and culture did not exist, and that Ukraine was just an extension of Russia. This summer, the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra launched its own production of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, with the “Ode to Joy'' finale sung in Ukrainian instead of German. In creating their translation, the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra emphasized “slava” (glory), as in the increasingly common greeting “slava Ukraini” (glory to Ukraine). The choir performing it used to rehearse in the nineteenth-century Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa, Ukraine before it was attacked by Russian missiles. Almost everything in the cathedral was destroyed.
It's not just Ukrainians: international artists have also used their skills to support Ukraine. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the famous English street artist Banksy visited Ukraine and left seven murals. One depicts a small boy, presumably representing Ukraine, flipping over a large man in a martial arts battle. Another depicts a woman standing outside in a bathrobe and gas mask, ready to protect her home with the only weapon she has: a fire extinguisher. However, the majority of the paintings show children doing the things they would have enjoyed during peacetime. Children used to play here, the murals seem to say. And maybe one day they will play again.
(Want to learn more about Ukrainian art or use your own art skills to support Ukrainians? Check out this article about a social media movement where people use their art to raise awareness. Also, consider donating money or art supplies to #KidsCreateUkraine, a Canada-based organization that brings art therapy to Ukrainian kids.)
by VERONIKA MOROZ