In Warsaw, the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts, together with WOK.Lab (Warszawskie Obserwatorium Kultury) and Fundacja Ari Ari, presented two exhibitions as part of the Ukrainian-Polish project “Place of Presence: Memory, Creativity, Life” — “Pangram: Litery na linii frontu”(Pangram: Letters on the Front Line) and “(Nie)zagaszone światło (nie)urodzonych do wojny”((Un)Extinguished Light of Those (Not) Born for War). The exhibition programme also featured screenings of the film “My Land” (directed and produced by Kateryna BALABAI, with cinematography by Yurii KRASIUK) alongside student animation works created during the war.

The exhibition “(Nie)zagaszone światło (nie)urodzonych do wojny” featured works by sculptors Anton DERBILOV and Ruslan MOVCHAN, artist and poet Veronika KOZHUSHKO, and cinematographer Yurii KRASIUK. It brought together drawings, sculpture, photography, video, quotations incorporating personal testimonies, memories of relatives, and reflections by the artists themselves. With the assistance of Remigiusz KOZIŃSKI and Katarzyna GAJEWSKA, the exhibition was adapted for visually impaired visitors, featuring five Polish-language audio descriptions of the exhibited works. Additionally, Polish-language audio guides were created, incorporating biographical details of the artists and an interview with Anton DERBILOV. The exhibition was curated by Oleksandr RIDNYI, Oleksandr DEMCHENKO, and Vladyslav YUDIN.

The exhibition “Pangram: Litery na linii frontu” showcased 35 of the best Cyrillic-based poster designs created between 2016 and 2026 by participants of the International Competition on Fonts and Calligraphy Pangram. Some of the posters focused on the revival and modernisation of historical forms of Ukrainian Cyrillic, while others explored contemporary display and text typefaces. The showcase of original calligraphy and typography demonstrated the richness of Ukrainian Cyrillic, illustrating its ongoing recognition as a language of cultural self-identification and resistance to Russia’s imperial erasure of Ukrainian identity. The exhibition was curated by Tetiana IVANENKO.

During the opening, speeches were delivered by KSADA Rector Oleksandr SOBOLIEV, exhibition curator Oleksandr RIDNYI, project coordinator Vladyslav YUDIN, the parents of Veronika KOZHUSHKO, WOK Project Coordinator Agata HEFT, and Head of Fundacja Ari Ari Longin GRACZYK. The event was moderated by KSADA Senior Researcher Myroslava YARIKO.

The exhibition programme in Warsaw also featured screenings of short animation works created by students of the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts between 2014 and 2026. Special mention should be made of the animated film “The Boundary” by Veronika AIUVDZHI, created under the supervision of Associate Professor Nataliia CHIEN. The animation explores the realities of life in frontline Kharkiv.

During the exhibitions, Myroslava YARIKO conducted 36 guided tours in Ukrainian, Polish, and English, including two held online. Among the visitors were people from Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Italy, Mexico, and the United States, including students and staff from art and general education schools, representatives of higher education institutions, civic activists, gallery personnel, Warsaw residents, and tourists.

We would like to express our gratitude for their assistance in organising the exhibitions to Longin GRACZYK (Fundacja Ari Ari), Agata HEFT, Marek JEŻEWSKI, Anastasiia SABATOVSKA, Olga WIADEREK (WOK), Remigiusz KOZINSKI (Fundacja Otwieramy Kulturę i Sztukę), and Katarzyna GAJEWSKA.

The project “Place of Presence: Memory, Creativity, Life” has been organised with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation as part of the “Culture. Regions” programme.