ARTISTIC FRONT IN SUMY REGION DURING THE RUSSIAN AGRESSION

Abstract

On February 24, 2022, when Russian troops invaded the lands of sovereign Ukraine, Sumy region was among the first Ukrainian regions to be invaded by the enemy. However, the residents of Sumy put up a worthy resistance and prevented the attackers from occupying their land. Having recovered somewhat from the shelling, Sumy artists opened their artistic front, staging an exhibition of their war-themed works at the Sumy Regional Art Museum named after N Onatsky, condemning Russian aggression. These were Ihor Shvachunov, Oleksandr Cherednychenko, Petro Kysheniuk and others. Some joined the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, such as the talented master of folk art, associate professor of the Hlukhiv National Pedagogical University named after O.Dovzhenko, Ihor Bilevych (1971–2022), who volunteered to fight after the Russian invasion and gave his life for Ukraine. The Sumy Regional Art Museum has taken a clear pos0tion in opposition ho the enemy. This cultural and artistic institution, which was founded back in 1920 by the artist-teacher, poet and public figure Nykanor Onatsky (1875–1937), who was destroyed during the Stalinist repressions. With the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the museum was forced to hide its valuable collection of art works to prevent them from being captured by enemy and to move to new principles of communication with viewer. The new methods were aimed at holding temporary exhibitions of Sumy region artists, patriotic education of children, and other important events aimed at supporting the Ukrainian Armed Forces, etc., which was facilitated by the construction of a shelter in the basement, where museum employees and visitors descend during air raids. A significant event held by the Lebedynsky City Art Museum named after B. K Rudniev during martial law was the International exhibition project “Futurism: 140 th Anniversary of the Artist Davyd Burliuk”. However, various local history museums in Sumy region, particularly the destroyed Okhtyrka Museum of Local History, have suspended their public communication efforts due to constant Russian shelling.