Skip to Content

"I have a crisis for you": Women Artists of Ukraine Respond to War

September 29, 2022
Image of rug by Oksana Briukhovetska

Work by Oksana Briukhovetska (MFA ​’23) is featured in ​“I have a crisis for you”: Women Artists of Ukraine Respond to War, an exhibition on view at Lane Hall Exhibit Space through December 16, 2022. The exhibition is curated by Grace Mahoney and Jessica Zychowicz, and features work by Kinder Album, JT Blatty, Oksana Briukhovetska, Oksana Kazmina, Sonya Hukaylo, Svetlana Lavochkina, Kateryna Lisovenko, and Lyuba Yakimchuk.

In February 2022, the world witnessed the invasion of Ukraine and all-out war of aggression by the Russian Federation. Since this time, massive casualties, human rights violations, and an unprecedented refugee crisis have ensued. Women artists of Ukraine have responded. They paint on found materials in refugee housing, illustrate in bomb shelters, photograph their shelled cities wearing press passes and bulletproof jackets. They document, create, and share. They post their daily journals and images on social media. They perform at the Grammy Awards. They know their message is powerful, and the amplification of their voices is critical for victory in a very real battle for survival. Curated by Grace Mahoney (U‑M Slavic Languages and Literatures) and Jessica Zychowicz, Ph.D. (Fulbright Ukraine and U‑M Alumna), ​“I have a crisis for you”: Women Artists of Ukraine Respond to War showcases work created by women artists in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The involved artists are painters, photographers, filmmakers, poets, translators, and textile artists. Many of the works exhibited demonstrate a continuity of engagement by the artists with the topic of war, especially since 2014 when the people of Ukraine gathered in a ​“Revolution of Dignity” against attempts by the Russian Federation to control the country’s independence resulting in Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and backing of pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine’s east.

The exhibit is accompanied by a companion website which includes an expanded set of informational and aid-related resources. 

“I have a crisis for you”: Women Artists of Ukraine Respond to War
August 25 — December 16, 2022
Lane Hall Exhibit Space (open M‑F, 9am-4pm)
204 South State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109