The Ukrainian nation spans a thousand years of history. Being rich in vast lands from mountains to the seaside, this country is endowed with breathtaking landscapes and the splendour of nature. Spectacular landscapes of Anatoly Kryvolap reflect the quiet moment of being in your native land, as if catching a motif of a song that lies deep in the consciousness of everyone born here.
Both Kryvolap and Tiberiy Szilvashi were part of the ‘Zhyvopysnyi Zapovidnyk’ art group. Szilvashi has pioneered pure, non-objective abstraction since the 1980s, acting in defiance of the widespread and authorities' imposed rules of obligatory figurative artistic approaches. His artworks are distinguished by vibrant colours and hues that derive from an avant-garde tradition that was ruined by the totalitarian regime.
The home-valued centrism is depicted by Liubomyr Medvid. Born in Western Ukraine, the artist considers home to be a fortress and the only truth. For many Ukrainians, leaving their dwellings means dying...
Ukrainians are brought up on traditions passed down from their ancestors, and Katerina Lisova’s ‘family trees’ bring us back to the cycles of disasters that generations have suffered, depicting personal tragedies: destroyed fates, bonds and hearths.
Anastasiia Podervianska’s “Ukraine Air Alarm” bleeding textiles refer to the strong artisanal traditions that are decoded in women's embroidery and carpets. Women are losing their sons and husbands, their hearts are broken, and their open wounds will not heal soon.
Women fight, provide support, and yet have to remain women to procreate. Art becomes the remedy and psychological reflection for all those in the war zone. Such is the work by Maryna Skugareva “199 Day”, which depicts a flamboyant bird as a hope, interrupting the cycle of the disturbing news and losses.
The absurdity of war and violence in the 21st century, the blindness of humanity is in the collage by Mykhailo Rai. Having lived through the occupation in Kherson, the artist kept his diary, where he questioned the matter of awareness and freedom of choice. When is the time for indifference and tolerance to atrocities? Why do people become zombified and ready to murder, gradually destroying themselves as little compassion remains in them?Anatoliy Melnyk’s “Manifesto” illustrates how easily people are deceived by slogans and misled by their leaders, how the same mistakes are repeatedly made over and over again for decades, drowning millions in blood. The minds of people are captured by hatred, evil and revenge, false values.
The collective symbolic character created by Victor Sydorenko gives an abstract idea of instincts and human nature, of fear and despair, and of the disorientation of a person in the modern world. Sydorenko is one of the few artists who addressed the subject of a person in the post-soviet era and seeks to interpret it in different semantic presentations. In doing so, he attempts, on the one hand, to overcome the inertial individualisation of society, and, on the other hand, he is able to "travel" with the character beyond his own statement, offering a new interpretation of events: the cruelty and inevitability of time, the strange "intertwining" of individual human destiny with it. In the project “Millstones of Time”, presented at the 50th Venice Biennale, Sydorenko addressed, among other things, the personal trauma of being born into a family of deported migrants. Sydorenko’s contemporary protagonist continues to explore human boundaries: is there anything in the world that human beings fail to break?
Yuriy Vakulenko’s objects are artefacts that witness the shocking atrocities in the cities of Bucha and Borodyanka, those that wound every person, who would never have expected to experience such after WWII… The works are intended to save memory from oblivion and indifference.
Despite his apocalyptical premonitions in 2012 and subconscious choice of the subject for the painting “Apocalypse”, presented in Paris, Oleksandr Dubovik is confident that Ukraine will exist forever. As an artist, he believes that his vision is in the preservation of spiritual power, a strength that can generate support for Ukraine’s victory. The nation has tremendous potential to fight for independence for thousands of years. The future holds promise and prosperity for the brave.
Not only does the art record but it also provides a formidable support for the power of imagination, faith in light and victory. Renowned Ukrainian cameraman Serhiy Mykhalchuk has been documenting the russian invasion of Ukraine from the very first days, his photographs captured death in the eyes of the people. On display at the exhibition in Paris, Mykhalchuk showcases daily footage from the frontline. The battles continue every minute, and he manifests courage and strength, saving the belief that evil will be defeated. The transparent glass sculptures by Andriy Bokotey embody guardians, which take roots from ancient mythical spirits, gods, and warriors, who invisibly stand in defence of every Ukrainian.
With his work the “Fountain of Exhaustion”, shown at the Venice Biennale in 2022 right after the outbreak of the war, Pavlo Makov emphasizes that Ukraine’s independence has been in question for many years, despite the fact that Ukrainians have always identified themselves culturally and historically independent. For hundreds of years, Ukrainians have lived in the same territories. Captured and humiliated by their neighbours, they stayed united. In his work “1000 Years of Independence” Makov depicts numerous continuous sacrifices of generations, reinforced further by the current war.
Art has always been a way of resistance for many since the soviet era. Oleg Tistol portrayed cultural and political figures who opposed the totalitarian regime. He was the one who began to develop visual national stereotypes, depicting symbols, places and people that are historically associated with the nation, but often misused and manipulated for imperial purposes. The series of Ukrainian Crimean landscapes was initiated long before the russian invasion. The artist uses an approach that is almost poster-like, achieving maximum simplicity to explain the truth. He paints the iconic Crimean mountain Ay Petri according to traditional Ukrainian ornamentation, as it rises high on Ukrainian soil.
In the “Light Will Win” project for Parisian Le Salon d’Automne, the NAA of Ukraine brought together renowned artists-academicians and young artists from different parts of Ukraine: Kharkiv, Kherson, Kyiv, Lviv, Mykolayiv, Lutsk, Mukachevo, Yahotyn, Malyn, as well as other countries. Regardless of the city of birth, they all identify themselves as Ukrainians, and they are united by highlighting one common truth about the unprecedented violent war. They see their mission in continuing to work, to record memory, to render thoughts and hopes, to generate support and strength, and, thus to keep the spirit of Ukrainians alive through art, through light.
Curated by Natalia Shpytkovska
The National Academy of Arts of Ukraine extends special thanks to the godmother Lady Dewi Soekarno for supporting the project.

It is culture and art that are the fundamental stimulus for the defending the state and the means of ensuring Ukraine's spiritual defence capability. Along with weapons, they constitute a crucial tandem that attests to the uniqueness of Ukraine's place in the world and its ability to withstand external influences and intrusions.
We believe that light will win! No global catastrophe or tragedy will break humanity's faith in creative vitality, and art will revive and heal wounds. This idea is the core of the NAA of Ukraine's exhibition project at the 2023 Le Salon d’Automne anniversary show in Paris.
We express our sincere gratitude to the management of the Le Salon d’Automne for the chance to be present here. The Academy's participation in the event of this high level was due to the initiative and support of godmother Lady Dewi Soekarno.
We would like to extend special thanks to the Ukrainian project team in Paris: Natalia Shpytkovska, curator and exhibition manager; Andriy Puchkov, Oles Sanin, Mykhailo Bokotey, Olimpia Cebotari, and Natalia Kochergina."