»In the Eye of the Storm«

In 1917, a Ukrainian nation state was founded for the first time, preceded by decades of a difficult independence movement. The Ukrainians did not enjoy peaceful times: the Polish-Ukrainian War and the Russian Civil War followed on the heels of the First World War. It was not until the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was founded in 1922 that state-supported Ukrainization took place in the agricultural country. Ukraine became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991, and the search for a national identity continues to this day. At the beginning of the 20th century, many Ukrainian artists strove to find this national style. An exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London brings this fascinating chapter of art, which is hardly known in the West, closer to the audience: In the Eye of the Storm. Modernism in Ukraine, 1900–1930s with 65 exhibits runs from June 29 to October 13.

The exhibition focuses on visual arts, literature, music and the theater scene. Most of the artworks are on loan from the National Art Museum of Ukraine and the Museum of Theatre, Music and Cinema Arts of Ukraine, both located in Kiev. The Royal Academy presents both famous artists such as Kazimir Malevich, Sonia Delaunay, Alexandra Exter and El Lissitzky as well as lesser-known positions such as Oleksandr Bohomazov and Mykhailo Boichuk.