Exhibition 'This Cat Was Drawn During the War' Explores Art in Conflict, Opening March 20, 2026

An exhibition titled 'This Cat Was Drawn During the War' opens on March 20, 2026, at 19:00, curated by Anna Łazar and Lada Nakonechna. It features works by 28 artists, including Katya Buchatska, Peggy Buth, Mario de Vega, Wojciech Fangor, Ksenia Hnylytska, Agnieszka Kalinowska, Oksana Kazmina, Pavlo Khailo, Tarik Kiswanson, Yulia Krivich, Aleksandra Kubiak, Zbigniew Libera and Darek Foks, Katya Libkind, Honorata Martin, Ivan Moudov, Lada Nakonechna, Ilona Németh, Olaf Nicolai, Mariola Przyjemska, Tanel Rander, Monika Sosnowska, Ivan Svitlychnyi, Miloš Trakilović, Variable Name (Valeria Karpan and Maryna Marynichenko), and Zbigniew Warpechowski. The show examines art created during wartime, referencing conflicts like the Second World War, the war in the former Yugoslavia, and the ongoing war against Ukraine. It questions art's effectiveness in crises, its role in public debates on European identity, women's rights, and decolonization from former socialist bloc perspectives. The title, a statement by artist Kateryna Libkind, challenges perceptions by noting it is not a cat but evokes internet imagery, while the verb 'painted' plays with traditional art-making notions. The exhibition uses diverse strategies beyond drawing or painting to unsettle reality and critique visual politics, asking if critical reflection persists in total crisis.