Every artist’s journey is different. In individual interviews and requested opinion pieces with multidisciplinary Ukrainian artists, we make sure our nation’s brightest and most creative voices are heard.
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Run For Ukraine Stories
“I am running for the city of Lviv. Rockets fly over my grandparents’ house almost every day. This is the city where I spent my vacations, the city of my relatives and friends. It hurts me to see it being destroyed.” – Danylo, 12 years old
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Marfa Vasilieva: Carpet of Love and Sorrow
The Carpet of Love and Sorrow is Ukrainian artist Marfa Vasilieva’s social art project, which invites Ukrainians to braid black and red cloths into a Dam Square-sized carpet to manifest their national loss. “I see it as my Guernica. A living, expanding protest against nazism, imperialism, and silence.”
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Christian van der Kooy: 1 month in Kharkiv
Dutch photographer and curator Christian van der Kooy reflects on a month in war-torn Kharkiv, capturing cultural life, artistic resistance, and the urgent need to tell Ukraine’s evolving story through art.
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Daria Lysenko: I Heard That You Are in the Netherlands
Daria Lysenko has published her latest collection of poems titled ‘I Heard You Are In The Netherlands’. In this interview, we discuss how her literary finesse and raw, real emotions have given life to the first Ukrainian poetry book by a contemporary poet to be translated into Dutch.
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Stitched in Memory: The Vyshyvanka I Took Across Borders
Ukrainian vyshyvanka can be taken for granted by those who wear them frequently in their homeland. But to writer and communications student Sofiia Maior, her vyshyvanka is more than just a traditionally embroidered shirt. It stitched together fragments she didn’t know were loose, and stitched memory of home close to…
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aHOUSEforHOME: Inspiring the Next Generation
Inspired by the aHOUSEforHOME architecture workshops in last year, several of its participants have gone on to study art and architecture at Dutch universities. We caught up with two participants from last year’s program and how it gave them the confidence to pursue architecture both academically and professionally.
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International Women’s Day: Letterenfonds Winners
Who run the world? VATAHA’s girls! To celebrate International Women’s Day 2025, we spotlight our five Letterenfonds grant winners – all Ukrainian women who have wielded clay, photography, posters, translations and book printing to speak volumes of Ukrainian visual and literary arts.
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Antonii Baryshevskyi: Burning Listeners’ Hearts
In this exclusive interview, Antonii Baryshevskyi, a Ukrainian pianist and co-organizer of SplenDoor to Ukraine, discusses Ukraine’s avant-garde heritage, resistance, and the importance of showcasing Ukraine’s diverse musical identity globally.
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Mariia Ponomarova: ‘Boycotting’ the IFFR 2025
Ukrainian film director Mariia Ponomarova is actively disengaging from the International Film Festival Rotterdam this year. Despite this edition’s impressive lineup of Ukrainian film screenings, the IFFR’s decision to continue to uplift russian cinema and its self-victimization narratives is reason enough for anyone to keep their distance.
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Daria Pugachova: Beauty and fear in performative art
A year after our initial interview, VATAHA catches up with multidisciplinary Ukrainian artist Daria Pugachova to discuss the links between her performances and war, beauty, identity, and an ever-changing audience.
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6 Ukrainian Books to Gift This Christmas
Discover the perfect Christmas gift with our curated list of Ukrainian books, from literature to cookbooks. Celebrate Ukrainian culture this holiday season by sharing them with your loved ones.
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Visual Witness
In this interview, Lera Manzovitova discusses her artistic journey as a photographer and her exhibition Power of Unity, which captures Ukrainians’ resilience during russia’s invasion and highlights Dutch support through volunteering and aid.