Assouline's New Book Explores Ukraine's Naïve Art Heritage

'Naïve My Love: Ukrainian Art of the 20th Century' has been published by Assouline, exploring the naïve art movement in Ukraine from the late 19th to early 20th centuries. This initiative, spearheaded by Gunia Project—co-founded by Mariia Gavryliuk and Natalia Kamenska—was developed in partnership with the GOGOLA media agency. The book highlights the movement's impact on modernist artists while aiming to reclaim the Ukrainian cultural narrative often overshadowed by imperial and Soviet histories. The founders assert that folk art, rural visual culture, and traditional crafts are essential in understanding these artists. They emphasize the need for ongoing practice of these traditions, collaborating with artisans across Ukraine to preserve techniques in blown glass, weaving, ceramics, and more. The creative direction and content were overseen by Gavryliuk and Kamenska, with the article authored by Hannah Silver, Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*.