Lviv residents were the first to see these paintings
Doctors, power engineers, athletes, electric welders, volunteers… Every day Ukraine witnesses new heroic stories in the epicenter of which are ordinary people. They do their everyday work in extraordinary conditions – mortal danger, stress, despair and other challenges – and show what indestructibility really is. A large-scale art project by Nezlamni.UA is dedicated to these heroes and heroines, combining painting, literature, and music to tell about their victory not only in Ukraine but also around the world, from Paris to New York.
Lviv residents were the first to see the exhibition: the exposition dedicated to Ukrainian heroes was placed on May 1 at Rynok Square. It was visited by thousands of passers-by, as well as by the heroes of several paintings: Ukrainian singer and volunteer Iryna Fedyshyn, volunteer Serhiy Kanyuka, and Mariupol defender Liudmyla Kravchuk.
On May 1, 2024, a press conference and exhibition were held in Lviv to present the Nezlamni.UA art project of the Culture.UA Charitable Foundation. The main topic of the press conference, held at the Palace of Arts, was the discussion of art during the war. They talked about how culture can help defeat the enemy in general and how the Nezlamni.UA project captures modern heroes and heroines on the canvases of Ukrainian artists and turns it into a tool of cultural diplomacy.
The discussion was joined by:
Rostyslav Karandieiev, Acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, who joined the event via online connection from Kyiv
Iryna Fedyshyn, Ukrainian singer and volunteer. Hero of the Nezlamni.UA project.
Serhiy Kanyuka, head of the Lviv-based charity organization “Where Hope Lives”. Hero of the Nezlamni.UA project.
Ihor Boldin, director of the Culture.UA Charitable Foundation, curator of the Nezlamni.UA project.
Liudmyla Kravchuk is a Border Guard Service inspector of the highest category, a paramedic at the Sartana Border Guard Service Department. She is a defender of Mariupol and a survivor of Russian captivity. Heroine of the Nezlamni.UA project.
Rostyslav Karandieiev, Acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, said: “I am grateful to every organization that contributes to the mission of cultural diplomacy. The Culture.UA Charitable Foundation is among those who are not indifferent and are doing a great, important public service. The exhibition as part of the Nezlamni.UA project is not just an element or one of the components of the promotion of Ukrainian culture, it is a very important matter of spreading knowledge among foreigners about our modern artistic achievements and about Ukraine as a whole. Unfortunately, there is still only a superficial understanding of Ukrainian culture abroad.”
Nezlamni.UA is a project of the Kultura.UA Charitable Foundation, which is implemented with the financial support of the Embassy of Switzerland, with the assistance of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, and with the logistical support of Nova Poshta. The goal of the project is to use cultural products as a powerful means of communicating cultural diplomacy and disseminating information about the modern history of Ukraine.
At the heart of the project is a series of 24 paintings dedicated to all those who help us survive in this time – paramedics, military, rescuers, utility workers, and other heroes and heroines. First, the exhibition of these paintings will be shown in the 5 largest cities of Ukraine, and then abroad, at famous art venues in Europe and the United States.
One of the paintings is dedicated to volunteers who work in Lviv: Serhiy Kanyuka, Iryna Fedyshyn, Vitaliy Chovnyk and Lina Leushena from the Where Hope Lives Charitable Foundation. Singer Iryna Fedyshyn joined the foundation’s team, and together they work fruitfully. Iryna organizes charity concerts and raises funds to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine, while the foundation’s team buys, diagnoses, paints and delivers vehicles to the front line. Thanks to their joint efforts, they have already delivered 159 vehicles to the military. The author of the painting about them is Taras Honcharenko.
Also, one of the project’s paintings is dedicated to Lyudmyla Kravchuk, a Border Guard inspector of the highest category, a paramedic of the Sartana Border Guard Department from Lutsk. Liudmyla is a defender of Mariupol who went through the horrors of Russian captivity and returned, preserving her inner light. The author of the painting about Lyudmyla is artist Yuriy Honcharenko.
Additionally, books and a song will be created to reflect the significant events and stories of various professional groups who, with their unwavering dedication, defend Ukraine’s independence and lead it to victory.