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MATTERS OF OBSESSION

The Womanly Face of War: A Women’s Month exhibition about art, womanhood and Ukraine

The Womanly Face of War: A Women’s Month exhibition about art, womanhood and Ukraine
'The Womanly Face of War' exhibited at the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation at the Old Granary Building in Cape Town. Image: Supplied

‘The Womanly Face of War’, exhibiting in South Africa, tells the stories of Ukrainian women and their experiences of the war.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, Nataliia Popovych was in Kyiv, waking up on 24 February 2022 to the sounds of explosions.

Popovych is a civic activist and international communications expert, as well as the founder of One Philosophy consultancy and co-founder of Sunseed Art, Resilient Ukraine CSO and Ukraine Crisis Media Centre. 

Nataliia Popovych, a civic activist and international communications expert, founder of One Philosophy consultancy, co-founder of Sunseed Art and Resilient Ukraine CSO. This photo was taken during a "peaceful time", before Russia's invasion. Image: Supplied

Nataliia Popovych, a civic activist and international communications expert, founder of One Philosophy consultancy, co-founder of Sunseed Art and Resilient Ukraine CSO. This photo was taken during a ‘peaceful time’, before Russia’s invasion. Image: Supplied

Through her extensive work over the years, Popovych has continuously fought for Ukraine’s statehood and freedom, countering Russian disinformation and promoting Ukraine abroad. When the attacks started, she joined the millions of Ukrainians fleeing for their lives.

“I had thirty minutes to gather my things. And my first thought about whether I will be able to ever see my sons again,” Popovych remembers.

“I joined a friend of mine who was driving towards the western part of Ukraine, to my hometown, Lviv, where my dad continues to live. There were millions of cars. As we all stood on that highway from Kyiv to Lviv on the first day, none of us knew whether we would make it, the shelling was already happening so close to us.

“I made it to Lviv and had a chance to see my father. He’s 85 years old, he remembers the Second World War — he never should be subjected to the sounds of air sirens. But he’s not going to leave Ukraine; it is his home. He decided to stay, and I was not able to convince him to go. In a few days, I did make it to Denmark to my family, but I left with a very heavy heart because I did not know if I would be able to come back.”

“The night before the battle” by Anastasiya Pustovarova. “Every Ukrainian remembers the 23rd of February - the last day and night before the Russian invasion. We went to sleep as usual, unaware that the end of life as usual was very close. At dawn of February 24th, Ukraine was brutally attacked and people woke up to the sounds of explosions in multiple locations. Ever since, the country of 40 million people, has had to learn to live in the accompaniment of the sounds of air sirens and strikes destroying entire cities or terrorizing and entirely disrupting people's peaceful lives.” Image: Supplied

‘The night before the battle’ by Anastasiya Pustovarova. ‘Every Ukrainian remembers the 23rd of February – the last day and night before the Russian invasion. We went to sleep as usual, unaware that the end of life as usual was very close. At dawn on February 24th, Ukraine was brutally attacked and people woke up to the sounds of explosions in multiple locations. Ever since, the country of 40 million people has had to learn to live in the accompaniment of the sounds of air sirens and strikes destroying entire cities or terrorising and entirely disrupting people’s peaceful lives.’ Image: Supplied / Sunseed Art

'PAIN' by Anastasiya Pustovarova. “Russia commits war crimes every day by using phosphorus bombs, killing civilians by rockets targetting shopping malls, raping women and children in occupied territories. Every Ukrainian feels this pain from hurting and unfairness”. Image: Supplied

‘PAIN’ by Anastasiya Pustovarova. ‘Russia commits war crimes every day by using phosphorus bombs, killing civilians by rockets targeting shopping malls, raping women and children in occupied territories. Every Ukrainian feels this pain from hurting and unfairness.’ Image: Supplied / Sunseed Art

When reflecting on the war in Ukraine, Popovych references Svetlana Alexievich, the Belarusian journalist who won the 2015 Nobel Prize in literature and who authored The Unwomanly Face of War, an oral history of the Russian women who fought in World War 2.

Rebecca Reich wrote for The New York Times in 2017 that “Alexievich gives the lie to any assumption that war need be an ‘unwomanly’ business. Even as her subjects themselves tend to hold traditional views of femininity, they make the point that their beauty, their empathy and their ability to provoke compassion in others gave them special advantages in wartime.”

Today, however, war looks remarkably different than in the 20th century. 

Ukrainian novelist Oksana Zabuzhko writes that in 2022, “the war does have a ‘womanly face’, too”; women have enlisted to fight alongside their male counterparts, and they are giving birth in bomb shelters, they are fleeing across the border with their children. 

Mothers with their newborns ride an elevator down to a bomb shelter organised below a children hospital during an air-raid alarm in Odesa, Ukraine, 22 August 2022. Image: EPA-EFE / STRINGER

Pregnant women sit in a bomb shelter organized below a children hospital during an air-raid alarm in Odesa, Ukraine, 22 August 2022. EPA-EFE/STRINGER

Pregnant women sit in a bomb shelter organised below a children hospital during an air-raid alarm in Odesa, Ukraine, 22 August 2022. Image: EPA-EFE / STRINGER

It is against this backdrop that Popovych and the Sunseed Art project present their exhibition, The Womanly Face of War, seeking to show the various realities of femaleness in conflict creatively. 

The exhibition presents a series of poster works from four different artists, each displaying various experiences of Ukrainian women. They are each unique in style and medium, but also in how they depict war through the eyes of women. No experience is the same, and walking through the exhibition delivers a crushing, heartwrenching glimpse into the war. 

“We believe that women have a special role to play in war, and, unfortunately, wars scar women in so many ways. Because wars are not waged just between armies; they have such a profound impact on the life of a woman,” Popovych explains. 

“Welcome to us on fire” by Sveta Grib. “In Ukraine it is customary to greet our guests with bread and salt. Bread is the symbol of our well-being and salt is the totem against the power of evil. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Ukrainians have come to realise that right now the salt won’t help us, so in the first weeks of war thousands of Ukrainians were meeting the uninvited guests with handmade weapons - so called “Molotov cocktail.” Image: Supplied

‘Welcome to us on fire’ by Sveta Grib. ‘In Ukraine, it is customary to greet our guests with bread and salt. Bread is the symbol of our wellbeing and salt is the totem against the power of evil. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Ukrainians have come to realise that right now the salt won’t help us, so in the first weeks of war thousands of Ukrainians were meeting the uninvited guests with handmade weapons – the so-called Molotov cocktail.’ Image: Supplied / Sunseed Art

“In the afterlife, you’ll know where to get your braids from” by Sveta Grib. “Russia's attack on Ukraine is an attack on Ukrainian identity. Ukrainians are defending not only territorial integrity of their state, but their right to remember who they are speak the Ukrainian language, devise their future free from Soviet and Russian propaganda - moving forward from a centuries-long history of imperial repression and Ukrainian resistance. According to the old Ukrainian beliefs, hair preserves the memory of life and hence — vitality. Cutting one's hair means getting ready to engage in the battle for what you treasure most, setting aside everything that had meaning before to defend your right to be yourself.” Image: Supplied

‘In the afterlife, you’ll know where to get your braids from’ by Sveta Grib. ‘Russia’s attack on Ukraine is an attack on Ukrainian identity. Ukrainians are defending not only territorial integrity of their state, but their right to remember who they are, speak the Ukrainian language, devise their future free from Soviet and Russian propaganda – moving forward from a centuries-long history of imperial repression and Ukrainian resistance. According to the old Ukrainian beliefs, hair preserves the memory of life and hence — vitality. Cutting one’s hair means getting ready to engage in the battle for what you treasure most, setting aside everything that had meaning before to defend your right to be yourself.’ Image: Supplied / Sunseed Art

“Embroiderer” by Sveta Grib. “The girl embroidered a military uniform with the pixels looking like flowers. It's more than a uniform now — it's a talisman," Image: Supplied

‘Embroiderer’ by Sveta Grib. ‘The girl embroidered a military uniform with the pixels looking like flowers. It’s more than a uniform now; it’s a talisman.’ Image: Supplied / Sunseed Art

She has witnessed the women in her life take on these different roles; of the warrior, the mother, the healer, and the caretaker, but the war has changed her too. Popovych herself is a mother of three but has become a caretaker to the children of friends and family, making sure they live in safety outside of Ukraine. 

“Through art, we have a chance to express everything that we feel about what’s happening and the events unfolding around us. It’s devastating to see our homeland being ruined, our cities being bombed. Millions of people’s lives are being disrupted. In a 44 million-person country, each one of us is affected, one way or another,” Popovych says.

“We feel devastation, we feel sorrow, we grieve for the soldiers that we are losing in the battle, and I think we all express this in different ways.

“But creative people, artists, have a chance to express it through their work. And there is a boom of creativity in Ukraine right now, because anybody who is involved in art has a chance to tell their story through their works. At times like these, every creative professional becomes an activist.”

Street artists paint a mural onto a wall near a building in a residential area in Kyiv, Ukraine, 18 August 2022. Ukrainian street artist Yulia Abramova, with friends and colleagues paint a mural depicting a symbolic red the tree of life and white storks as talismans, who symbolically guard Ukraine during the Russian invasion. EPA-EFE/SERGEY DOLZHENKO

Street artists paint a mural near a building in a residential area in Kyiv, Ukraine, 18 August 2022. Ukrainian street artist Yulia Abramova, with friends and colleagues, paints a mural depicting a symbolic red tree of life and white storks as talismans, which symbolically guard Ukraine during the Russian invasion. Image: EPA-EFE / SERGEY DOLZHENKO

Ukrainians say goodbye to the passengers of the train named The Train to Victory' at the railway station in Kyiv, Ukraine, 23 August 2022. The Train to Victory project consists of seven train cars painted by Ukrainian artists. Each car is dedicated to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and the feats of Ukrainians resisting Russian invasion. The Train to Victory left Kyiv for its first trip and will arrive in the Western Ukrainian city of Uzhgorod on Independence Day on 24 August. EPA-EFE/SERGEY DOLZHENKO

Ukrainians say goodbye to the passengers of the train named ‘The Train to Victory’ at the railway station in Kyiv, Ukraine, 23 August 2022. The Train to Victory project consists of seven train cars painted by Ukrainian artists. Image: EPA-EFE / SERGEY DOLZHENKO

She sees the exhibition as a method of communicating how Ukrainians feel through art, which is increasingly sacred, not only because of the stories art tells but because of the history and art that is being lost in the country. As Russia destroys Ukrainian heritage and cultural sites representing what Ukraine was, is, and hoped to be, the role of artists to create is even more vital. As of August 2022, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine has recorded 464 cases of Russian war crimes against Ukrainian cultural heritage.

“I really feel that it’s important to communicate what we feel through art because this is a war against our culture. Russia is not waging war for territories, I think they have plenty of that. They have waged this war against Ukraine as a nation. They’ve shown that in the brutality of the atrocities and war crimes. If they win this war, they would ensure that Ukrainians are ‘deUkrainianised’, which essentially means we would stop existing as a nation, as a culture. Our language would have to be stopped, our essence would have to be stopped. And that’s why all of these museums are being bombed. They want to strip us of our identity.

“Alionushka” by Asya Krasilnikova. “Alionushka, the well-known "innocent girl" character from Russian fairytales, carries bombs instead of buckets of water, bringing destruction instead of humanitarian help." Image: Supplied

‘Alionushka’ by Asya Krasilnikova. ‘Alionushka, the well-known “innocent girl” character from Russian fairytales, carries bombs instead of buckets of water, bringing destruction instead of humanitarian help.’ Image: Supplied / Sunseed Art

“Rage to your enemies. Love to your friends” by Olesya Drashkaba. “Ukrainian traditional pillar candles are used to decorate the festive table when friends gather to celebrate an occasion and our ancestors' lives are being remembered. This pillar candle, while burning with fury and total resistance, at the same time preserves sprouts of love and power inside itself to enhance the strength of our own.” Image: Supplied

‘Rage to your enemies. Love to your friends’ by Olesya Drashkaba. ‘Ukrainian traditional pillar candles are used to decorate the festive table when friends gather to celebrate an occasion and our ancestors’ lives are being remembered. This pillar candle, while burning with fury and total resistance, at the same time preserves sprouts of love and power inside itself to enhance the strength of our own.’ Image: Supplied / Sunseed Art

“It’s so important for us to be able to preserve our culture because this is what we’re defending; our culture, our identity, our statehood.”

Central to this, Popovych says, is honouring all the Ukrainian women, whatever role they took on. 

“We want to document and ensure that women are seen, we want to ensure respect for women who have suffered, and then we all work to ensure that justice can be served. Because if women don’t recover from this war, the country won’t recover from this war,” she says.

Ukrainian expatriates during a peaceful protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine outside Russian Consulate on 24 August 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa. Image: Gallo Images  /ER Lombard

The exhibition is showcased in South Africa in August, which Popovych hopes will resonate during Women’s Month. Just as August honours the 20,000 women who marched in 1956 to protest against apartheid oppression, she wants to highlight how Ukrainian women are fighting every day too.

“The more I learn about the experience of South Africans, I see how that just up until recently, people in this country had to stand up and protest, and sometimes sacrifice their lives, for the ability to live with dignity, and to be free,” she says.

“This is very similar to the fight for freedom and against oppression that Ukrainian women are partaking in. And I think that it’s important that we understand that the essence of our fight is anti-colonial too.”

August is also an important month for Ukraine, as the 24th marks the anniversary of the country’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. 

Popovych remembers the 13th anniversary of freedom last year, as she celebrated with loved ones in Kyiv.

“It was probably one of the highlights of my life, very similar to when Ukrainians voted for independence on 1991 when I was growing up. And I remember that feeling of freedom. 

“I come from a family of dissidents, I come from a family that was persecuted by the Soviet totalitarian regime, they were sent to Gulag. We grew up in a system where we could not practice our religion because it was forbidden. We could not speak our minds. 

“Last year when I was in Kyiv, and I saw so many people exhilarated, I felt that we have so much resilience, as a country, we can tackle basically any challenge.”

This year, celebrations are muted, taking place against the backdrop of war as what is such a sacred day for Ukraine now also marks six months since Russia began its assault on the country. 

“In the afterlife, you’ll know where to get your braids from” by Sveta Grib, displayed at the The Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation at the Old Granary Building in Cape Town. Image: Supplied

‘In the afterlife, you’ll know where to get your braids from’ by Sveta Grib, displayed at the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation at the Old Granary Building in Cape Town. Image: Supplied

 Nataliia Popovych at the opening of 'The Womanly Face of War' exhibit in Cape Town. Image: Supplied

Nataliia Popovych at the opening of ‘The Womanly Face of War’ exhibit in Cape Town. Image: Supplied

A woman dances at the opening of 'The Womanly Face of War' exhibit in Cape Town. Image: Supplied

A woman dances at the opening of ‘The Womanly Face of War’ exhibit in Cape Town. Image: Supplied

Popovych has returned to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion, and she speaks of cities that have been flattened and the people, who remain in Ukraine, who live under the threat of bombing every day.

“I went to visit my dad and spend time with him and the people that I love. Some cities have been bombed to the extent that they no longer exist. For the people who lived there, they will not have a chance to come back to their homes, because they’re just not there,” she says.

“This is the land you’ve always wanted. Now you will get yourself immersed in it” by Olesya Drashkaba. “Woman’s body is covered with tattoos showcasing the words from Stasik's (a Ukrainian singer) song “Lullaby For The Enemy”. Its poetry communicates a powerful spell: “This is the land you’ve always wanted. Now you will get yourself immersed in it”, meaning that those who came to kill will die in the land they came to conquer.” Image: Supplied

‘This is the land you’ve always wanted. Now you will get yourself immersed in it’ by Olesya Drashkaba. ‘Woman’s body is covered with tattoos showcasing the words from Stasik’s (a Ukrainian singer) song “Lullaby For The Enemy”. Its poetry communicates a powerful spell: “This is the land you’ve always wanted. Now you will get yourself immersed in it”, meaning that those who came to kill will die in the land they came to conquer.’ Image: Supplied / Sunseed Art

“There will be people!” by Olesya Drashkaba. “Ukranian women are giving birth to their children in basements, bombshelters or temporary occupied towns under the bombs and air sirens." Image: Supplied

‘There will be people!’ by Olesya Drashkaba. ‘Ukranian women are giving birth to their children in basements, bombshelters or temporary occupied towns under the bombs and air sirens.’ Image: Supplied / Sunseed Art

Homes and hospitals, museums and places of worship have been destroyed, and she says she carries the feeling of devastation with her. As the war continues, however, she remains hopeful that the world will fight even more for Ukraine. 

“My hope is that people will not trade freedom for the price of gas or the price of a product. Gasoline may be expensive, but freedom is priceless,” she says. 

“In Ukraine, we all understand that we are facing the second-largest army in the world. We understand that Russia is a nuclear power state, which makes their attack against us even more cynical. But we feel that we are defending something very precious; freedom and dignity to us are more important than lives,” Popovych says. DM/ML

The Womanly Face of War will be exhibited until 31 August at the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation at the Old Granary Building in Cape Town before moving to Durban in September.

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