You're reading: Anti-war exhibition of Ukrainian, Russian art opens in Geneva

An art exhibition dedicated to Ukrainian-Russian relations opened on June 11 in one of Geneva's most popular and prestigious art galleries, Artvera’s.

The
exhibition is named “Just Art” – an ironic name since most paintings reflect the
tensed relationship between the two countries and Russia’s assault on Ukraine
that started with Crimea annexation and continued with war in Donbas.

A painting “Yalta. The city of happiness” by Gennadiy Kozub.

The
exhibition brings together paintings of modern artists from Ukraine and Russia.
It is taking place through Sept. 12 in the Artvera’s gallery (1 rue Etienne
Dumont, CH-1204) that specializes in European and Russian art of 19th-20th
century.

A painting by Nicolay Vasiliev from “Just Art” exhibition about Ukrainian-Russian relations.

All the money
acquired from the sale of the paintings will be donated to the victims of the
ongoing war with Russian-separatist forces in the east of Ukraine.
The display
features the works of eight Ukrainian and six Russian artists. Ukraine is
represented by Oleksandr Roitburdt, Yuri Solomko, Gennady Kozub, Serhiy
Kolyada, Oksana Mas, Andriy Yermolenko. Among the Russian artists on the
display there are Vladimir Medvedev, Nicolay Kopeikin, Andrey Kagadeev, Kirill
Miller.

One of the paintings by Yuriy Solomko represented at the Just Art exhibition in Geneva.

The paintings
reflect the events in Ukraine within the past 1.5 years: the EuroMaidan Revolution,
the annexation of Crimea by Russia, and the war in Donbas.

All the participants
were born during the Soviet era and had Soviet upbringing, which brings certain
common features can be noticed in their works. The paintings reflect styles
like avant-garde, trans-avant-garde, trans-monumentalism and cartoon-realism.