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For the past two years, I have been working on a series of homages – a series about war and the experience of war. I turned to paintings by artists from different periods of world art history, reinterpreting them through the lens of our current situation in Ukraine. I poured my pain into images that are familiar and close to us, but in these new realities, everything has changed.
What pictures does life paint for us today?
Each painting I chose to reinterpret and pay tribute to has its own story, and I experienced each of these stories in my own way.
This series is an attempt to portray our present reality through the prism of images that are deeply familiar to us. A familiar composition, famous figures, or even cultural icons acquire a different mood and meaning – this is what Ukrainians, both in Ukraine and abroad, see every day. What was once familiar and deeply rooted in our lives has long since changed.
World history is cyclical: what has happened before may happen again, with only slight variations. This series is also a reflection on legacy: what legacy did previous generations leave behind, and what legacy will future generations inherit? What lessons does humanity carry with it from one historical cycle to the next?
There is also the question of territorial inheritance. From a different historical perspective, Ukraine has a historical code distinct from that of Europe. A new and profound dimension – the experience of war – is now superimposed on all of this.
Researching and discussing the realities of war is an important part of understanding the scale of the catastrophe. It is equally important to communicate this experience to others and to bring these issues into international contexts. The war is still ongoing, but this is not an issue that will end when the war itself ends. It is a question that will remain relevant for future generations.
This research is conducted through a dialogue with paintings from the past, as an attempt to reflect on the future. This is not the first major war in Europe, and the conclusions of history have not yet been fully drawn.
The series has already been presented at exhibitions in Austria, Germany, Estonia, and Cyprus. It was also presented in printed form as part of the Piazza Ucraina project at the Venice Biennale in 2022 and as a solo project at a gallery in Vienna in 2024.
I see great potential and importance in presenting this series in different cities around the world in the future. We must remember the war and continue talking about it; now, this is especially important. But even after the war ends, we will face a long list of questions and problems that will need to be addressed for the sake of future generations.
Primavera
Primavera
Oil on canvas
160х240sm
2022
Homage to “Primavera” by Sandro Botticelli.
In Latin, primavera means spring. This is how spring looked in Ukraine in 2022
Venus of mariupol
Venus of mariupol
Oil on canvas
115x160sm
2022
Homage to “Venus of Urbino” by Titian
The work is a reference and dedication to a pregnant woman who died as a result of a bombing at the maternity hospital in Mariupol in 2022.
Sebastian
Sebastian
Oil on canvas
160x90sm
2022
Homage to “Saint Sebastian” by Titian.
A reference to the victims who were tortured and killed in the trenches around Mariupol.
Kherson still life
Kherson still life
Oil on canvas
140x160sm
2022
Homage to the highly detailed still-life tradition of the Northern Renaissance.
The crumpled tomatoes and watermelons evoke Kherson and the reality of a land transformed by war.
Lucretia
Lucretia
Oil on canvas
160x115sm
2022
Homage to “The Death of Lucretia” by Joos van Cleve.
A reference to women who suffered sexual violence during the occupation of Ukrainian territories.
The death of adam
The death of adam
Oil on canvas
130x240sm
2022
Homage to “The Creation of Adam” by Michelangelo
The work refers to and pays tribute to Ukrainian prisoners of war who were burned alive in Olenivka.
Kiss
Kiss
Oil on canvas
160x160sm
2022
Homage to “The Kiss” by Gustav Klimt.
A kiss that may already be the last.
Lady without an ermine
Lady without an ermine
Oil on canvas
62x47sm
2022
Homage to “Lady with an Ermine” by Leonardo da Vinci.
portrait of a lady
А3
portrait of a Venetian woman
A3
Portrait of Little Girl
A3
portrait of a man
A3
beautiful Faroniera
beautiful Faroniera
Oil on canvas
60X45sm
2022
Homage to "La Belle Ferronnière" by Leonardo da Vinci.
Young Woman with unicorn
Young Woman with unicorn
Oil on canvas
160x100
2023
Homage to “Lady with a Unicorn” by Raphael.
The work is dedicated to the tragedy caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant.
Love does not always win
Love does not always win
Oil on canvas
160x110sm
2023
Homage to “Love Always Wins” by Caravaggio
Castle
Castle
Oil on canvas
300x200sm
2023
Homage to a cathedral in Warsaw.
A reference to the destruction of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa during the Russian missile attack of July 2023.
Last supper
Last supper
Oil on canvas
160x310sm
2023
On October 5, 2023, a Russian missile struck a café in the village of Hroza, where a memorial gathering was being held for a fallen Ukrainian soldier. Fifty-nine civilians were killed in the attack.
The work draws a parallel between Leonardo’s The Last Supper and the tragedy in Hroza, where people gathered to commemorate the dead and became victims themselves.
The inscription in Latin:Hic est sanguis meus, qui pro multis gentibus effundetur.
“This is my blood, which will be shed for the benefit of many peoples”.
The abduction
The abduction
Oil on canvas
160x130
2023
Homage to" The abduction of Genymede" by Rembrandt
During Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Federation has forcibly transferred and deported Ukrainian children to territories under its control and to the Russian Federation. Russian authorities have imposed Russian citizenship on Ukrainian children and placed some children in Russian families for foster care, guardianship, or adoption. These practices, along with changes to children’s names and nationality, have created significant obstacles to tracing and reuniting children with their families.
According to the Ukrainian government’s Children of War platform, 20,610 Ukrainian children had been documented as deported and/or forcibly displaced as of July 30, 2026.
Many children remain separated from their families, while barriers to their return and reunification persist.
Mother portrait(Durer)
A4
Bacchus (Caravaggio)
A4
Portrait of woman (Durer)
A4
Portrait of boy (botichelli)
A4
Genevra
Genevra
60X50
Portrait of boy
Portrait of boy
60X45
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