#Art

Putin is trying to erase Ukrainian culture — and some Western museums are still complicit. Four years into Russia’s invasion, institutions like MoMA, Tate, and the Pompidou still label Ukrainian artists like Malevych, Ekster, and Tatlin as “Russian.” Despite activists’ calls to correct this, many rely on outdated sources, ignoring Russia’s broader information warfare.

“I was given a weapon, a uniform, and the rank of senior soldier,” actor Yaroslav Podshyvalov says. “The Russians were already on the outskirts of Kharkiv. The path was already set for me.”

In wartime Ukraine, a shift is unfolding behind the curtains of the country’s theaters. As male actors are mobilized to the front, women are stepping into their roles. On stage and off, they are reimagining not only their characters, but their place in a society reshaped by Russia’s invasion.

Ukraine’s Kobzars were once the nation’s living memory—blind troubadours who sang of war, loss, and resilience. Nearly erased by Soviet purges, their tradition endures, echoing through time.

In Kharkiv, a city battered by relentless Russian attacks, artists, curators, and performers refuse to leave their home. They won’t let the war silence them. Their studios double as bomb shelters, their exhibitions continue even amid blackouts, and their theaters adapt to missile alerts.