Art as a Means to Understand Human Values
This exhibition examines how art serves as a tool for exploring fundamental human values during times of historical upheaval, offering new ways of creative communication that shape ethical and moral orientations and assist in the search for truth.
At the end of June, the Institute of Contemporary Art of the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine launched a new project titled "Universalism," initiated in collaboration with leading Ukrainian artists, curators, and cultural institutions.
This project views art as a universal language capable of shaping ethical values, stimulating dialogue, and aiding individuals in finding truth within the complex landscape of interpersonal and social interactions.
The exhibition features works by contemporary Ukrainian artists, including Viktor Sydorenko, Oleg Tistol, Marina Skugareva, Oleksandr Liapin, Sasha Makarska, Vinny Reunov, Vasyl Tatarskyi, Anatoliy Tverdyi, Serhiy Korniievskyi, Anastasia Podervianska, and others. Their works create a multidimensional space where art becomes a tool for self-discovery, understanding society, and time.
According to the director of the Institute, Ihor Savchuk, in times of war and profound transformations experienced by Ukraine, universal human values—life, freedom, responsibility, justice, truth—gain particular significance. The exhibition aims not only to document artistic reflections on these challenges but also to create a space where these values can be lived, contemplated, and affirmed through art.
The curators believe that the exhibition is not a linear narrative but an open system of interaction that appeals to the philosophical tradition of Plato. Viewers are not given ready-made answers; instead, they engage in a dialogue with the artworks, independently constructing the logic of viewing and interpretation. This approach transforms the exhibition into an intellectual laboratory where art becomes a process of knowledge—through emotional experience and empathy.
Project curator Vitaliy Adlermaan notes that "Universalism" is not a finished construction but a space for exploration, where each artwork poses questions, and the viewer becomes a conversational partner. The goal is not to impose interpretation but to create conditions for independent understanding.
The central theme of the exhibition is the tension between freedom and responsibility, between the artist's personal choice and their social role. This balance is embodied through a conditional structure inspired by Plato's model of the state: artist-philosophers work with concepts and meanings (notably, Oleg Tistol); warrior-artists raise complex issues and expose conflicts (for instance, Viktor Sydorenko); artisan-artists engage with materials, traditions, and corporeality (specifically, Marina Skugareva, Anastasia Podervianska).
In a time when Ukraine is experiencing war and deep historical transformations, art once again emerges not only as a reflection of reality but as a conduit for meanings and values. The "Universalism" exhibition opens up a space for philosophical contemplation of the concepts of freedom, responsibility, truth, and justice—as foundations upon which the future is built.
Exhibition "Universalism"
When: until July 24, on weekdays from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
Where: Kyiv, Yevhen Konovalets Street, 18-d.
Admission free
