Culture

Glyadyelov’s new retrospective spans 35 years of Ukraine’s momentous history. But it is in the quiet, lived moments—the exhaled breath of a city under fire—that his photographs truly resonate.

Ai Weiwei’s new installation, Three Perfectly Proportioned Spheres and Camouflage Uniforms Painted White, opened September 14 in Kyiv’s Pavilion 13. It confronts Russia’s war in Ukraine with stark symbolism and calls for reflection on violence and peace.

Despite Russia being excluded from most international festivals since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian flag reappeared on the roof of the Palazzo del Cinema on the Venice Film Festival’s opening day—reviving questions about Moscow’s political, economic, and cultural influence at major international events.

Russia stole the works of Ukraine’s renowned 20th-century painter Leonid Chichkan in 2022. Three years later, it claimed the life of his great-grandson, David Chichkan, an artist, anarchist, and soldier.

As war continues to disrupt daily life in Ukraine, a handful of international musicians are moving beyond symbolic gestures—bringing not just music, but solidarity, aid, and a sense of normalcy to audiences who need it most. Despite the risks, they are coming to Ukraine to perform in person.

Were the Cossacks Ukrainian or Russian? The answer’s simpler than it sounds. The Cossacks were born in the flatlands of what is now southern Ukraine, where they carved out a fierce, democratic society that became a cornerstone of Ukraine’s—and Europe’s—unfinished struggle for freedom from empire.