Ukraine Short Stories at MAXXI: Eight Years of War Through Art

The MAXXI museum in Rome presents 'Ukraine Short Stories', an exhibition featuring works from 140 Ukrainian artists created between 2014 and 2015, drawn from the Imago Mundi Collection of Luciano Benetton. Curated by Solomia Savchuk, Head of Contemporary Art at Mystetskyi Arsenal in Kyiv, the project was conceived after the 2014 outbreak of war in the Donbass region, predating the full-scale Russian invasion of 2022. The works, all in 10×12 cm format, are displayed on four panels at the Corner MAXXI space, juxtaposing established and emerging artists. The exhibition runs until April 3, 2022; ticket proceeds (€5) and donations from two free-entry Sundays (Feb 27 and Mar 6, totaling over €34,600) go to UNHCR, UNICEF, and Red Cross for Ukraine humanitarian aid. Notable works include Alevtina Kakhidze's transcribed phone conversations with her mother in occupied Ždanivka, Victor Sydorenko's 'Levitating' series exploring post-Soviet identity, Illya Chichkan's 'Monkey Business/Dough' critiquing political power, and Taya Galagan's gender identity research. Savchuk notes that ordinary Ukrainians have learned 'the alphabet of war': masking lights, first aid, distinguishing rocket sounds. The exhibition highlights the ongoing conflict since 2014, now escalated into a full-scale invasion.