Beauty During Wartime and Before: Exhibition of Ukrainian Contemporary Art

The exhibition's primary focus is Mariypol Iconostasis from the Icons on Ammo Boxes
project by Sofia Atlantova and Oleksandr Klymenko, artists from Kyiv. In the over one thousand-year history of iconography, a canon has taken shape that, among other things, assumes reliability, durability, and solidity. In other words, an icon must be written on a high-quality, properly dried, and adequately prepared board of correct form, without seams and especially without cracks.
At first glance, the icons of Sofia and Oleksandr challenge conventional tradition, serving as a poignant reflection of the disrupted lives caused by war. Those who are wounded, are refugees and have lost their loved ones feel that all beauty has gone from their lives. Instead, they are filled with horror, suffering, and grief. But even today, God Himself, His All-Holy Mother, and all the Saints are near. Sofia and Oleksandr's compelling reinterpretation is a testament to faith's resilience even in the most challenging times.