For a long time, the world viewed Ukraine through the prism of Russia’s imperial and Soviet narratives — narratives rooted in centuries of encroachment on Ukrainian identity. In every form of its statehood, Russia has pursued a consistent policy: falsifying history, imposing its own meanings, attempting to erase Ukrainian subjectivity, and uprooting Ukrainians’ language, culture, and sense of themselves as a distinct nation.
The full-scale war has become a catalyst for advancing decolonisation, transforming Ukrainian society, and striving for justice. Today, we are reconstructing and reinterpreting the past. Through cultural diplomacy and artistic projects, we are revealing the true Ukraine to the world: unique and authentic. We are dismantling artificial stereotypes and shaping a new image of our country.
How can we distinguish what is truly ours from what has been imposed? What makes Ukraine’s decolonial discourse unique? How do different forms of art help debunk Russian myths through specific case studies? What responsibilities do artists and curators take on? How has the international community’s perception of Ukrainian culture changed over the years of independence, and how do we envision our country’s future?
Speakers:
Olha Melnyk, curator of exhibition projects and collections at Mystetskyi Arsenal
Oksana Semenik, art historian, journalist, and researcher
Yevhenia Butsykina, cultural studies expert and art critic
Roman Bondarchuk, director of feature and documentary films, head of the art department at NGO Docudays, and co-founder of the Ukraine War Archive platform
Moderator: Valentyna Sotnykova, Head of the Literary and Publishing Department at Mystetskyi Arsenal, co-author of the podcast Decolonizers by Suspilne Kultura.
Organisers: NGO Docudays, Mystetskyi Arsenal
