Cultural ties between Ukraine and the EU: what was discussed at the international art residency with the support of the EU Delegation to Ukraine

On 2-9 June, the Art Residency “Ukraine’s Artistic Response to the Russian Invasion” took place in Vynnyky, Lviv Oblast, with the support of the EU Delegation to Ukraine. The purpose of the residency is to immerse in Ukrainian culture and trace its close historical ties with EU countries.

The participants were 20 artists from Ukraine, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Germany. They presented joint group projects and discussed how a country under conditions of armed aggression can resist and win on the cultural front.

Each artist represented a separate type of art: cinema, theatre, visual arts, multimedia projects and performances, etc. However, during the residency, they all looked for points of contact and opportunities for further cooperation.

During the residency, the participants met with Pulitzer Prize-winning Ukrainian photographer Yevhen Maloletka. He spoke about his experience working in Mariupol at the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion.

“I understood that behind every photo there is suffering of people and every time I thought, whether it would be ethical to take a shot. However, I was clearly aware that the world should learn the truth about what is happening in Mariupol. Because the photographer’s job is to convey the truth to people,” said Maloletka.

Ukrainian literary critic Rostyslav Semkiv had his own session on the residency. The main topic of it was humour as a tool of decolonization and an indicator of democratic state. “Why is Ukraine a democracy? Because in Ukraine you can laugh at everything and everyone: from a volunteer to the president, there are no taboo topics,” the expert shared.

Nadiya Parfan, a Ukrainian director, co-founder of the International Film and Urbanism Festival “86” in Slavutych, shared her experience of filming in Ukraine under the conditions of a full-scale invasion. “How is it possible to shoot a film in a country where there is a war going on? This is important, because the attention of world cinema industry is currently focused on Ukraine, and the proof of this is the very loud voice of our country at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival,” said Nadiya.

Film producer Zlata Yefimenko supported the topic of the development of Ukrainian cinema. She noted that presence of Ukraine at world film festivals is increasing. The producer is convinced that the current strategy for the development of Ukrainian cinematography will not only keep the focus of attention of world directors on domestic film production, but will also significantly contribute to the box office.

Another important topic on the residence was the preservation of objects of art and cultural heritage in the conditions of war. Thus, the head of the scientific and educational department of the Kharkiv Literary Museum, Maryna Kutsenko, shared her experience of how she and her colleagues preserved the museum’s exhibits during the shelling of the city by the Russian invaders. She also told about the museum’s travelling exhibitions in Lviv, Odesa, Ivano-Frankivsk, Uzhhorod and other cities.

In March 2022, the initiative of the Museum Crisis Center was created, the goal of which was to support Ukrainian museums in the frontline regions. The leader of the initiative, Olha Gonchar, told the participants of the residence about the attraction of donor funds, the work of the project and its support from EU initiatives.

“I was interested to see how Ukrainian activists and artists respond to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Also, the lecturers of the residency were simply incredible,” says Richard Pettifer, a participant of the residency from Germany.

During the round table, dedicated to the support of Ukrainian culture by the European Union, experts from the EU Delegation to Ukraine, its communication projects and the Ukrainian Institute representatives emphasized the decisive role of the EU in supporting Ukrainian cultural institutions and discussed the EU funded opportunities for artists.

“Ukraine and the EU countries have not only close common ties in the past, but also many opportunities to combine their artistic efforts now. There are a number of initiatives from the European Union, such as Creative Europe or House of Europe, and many others, in which you can get grants for the implementation of ideas,” said Victoria Davydova, Press and Information Officer at EU Delegation to Ukraine.