In the wake of war and cultural takeover, 6 Ukrainian women artists are reshaping the Western art landscape, infusing it with voices forged from resilience and defiance. From sculpture to painting, their work explores raw themes of identity, pain, cultural resistance, and the relentless struggle for survival. This new generation brings an Eastern feminine lens that is complex, intimate, and deeply reflective of the contemporary war experience. Through personal stories steeped in conflict, they confront an important question: what does it mean to be a woman in art amid the devastation of war? The answer opens up a radically new landscape in contemporary art, poised to leave an indelible mark on art history.
Olga Stein
With her theatrical, powder-white face, Olga Stein stands at the forefront of the Ukrainian art scene, using unexpected materials such as fur, traditional bread, metal, and wood to provoke and disturb. Her recent works confront a sensitive and scarcely-discussed topic: the preservation and display of war trophies and the unsettling allure they carry. Through her sharp perspective, Stein dismantles the romanticised lens of war, exposing the dark truths often concealed within cultural artifacts – a hidden reality where suffering is neither sanitised nor distant, but hauntingly present.
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Olga Stein. Photo by Tetiana Tadai -
ХХ, 2023 oil, canvas, 140x200cm, Shown on solo show “Part of the soil“, London, UK. Curator: Kalina Mariy. Photo: Bohdan Poshyvailo. -
Trophy No.2, 2024, 80х30 сm, Recycled fur. The project was shown at a solo show, “Taxidermy room” in 91 gallery, Frankfurt. Curator: Alisa Sanger, Photo: Bohdan Poshyvailo. -
Lamb, 2023 Pearls, glitter, clay, 10х23х3cm. The project was shown at a group show: “What last longer than hope” Velychko Gallery, Cyprus. Curator: Haly Hleba, Photo: Olga Stein.
Masha Reva
A Central Saint Martins graduate, Masha Reva, who began her career in fashion design, now balances between fashion and art, creating her own voice across textiles, painting, ceramics and design. Known for her vibrant exploration of ‘line’, Reva’s work extracts the essence of form, illuminating the subtle, often hidden connections between the elements that shape bodies, faces and narratives. In this way, Reva cultivates a garden of joy that thrives even in the darkest of times.
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Masha Reva, set design for Rodebjer F/W 2020, in collaboration with architectural bureau ФОРМА. -
Masha Reva, I am the garden you’re no longer looking after, glazed, a sculpture made of Ukrainian clay, 35x41x18 cm, 2024. -
Masha Reva, Woman Screaming (dedicated to the day when Khakovskaya Dam has been destroyed), Acrylic paint on paper, 300 x 250 cm, 2023. -
Masha Reva, Bugaz , personal photo project, 2020.
Krystyna Melnyk
The master of monochrome painting, Krystyna Melnyk, evokes both the sublime and the tragic through her depiction of the suffering body. Using gesso, a traditional medium in iconography, she delves into the sacred, capturing the fragility of human existence. Melnyk’s works face the profound vulnerability inherent in life, contemplating the delicate balance between beauty and despair.
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Krystyna Melnyk. Photo by Wojciech Chrubasik. -
Krystyna Melnyk, A body that wants to be a landscape, 2022 canvas,levkas, oil 130 x 180 cm. 51 1/8 x 70 7/8 in. -
Krystyna Melnyk, Gentle, 2023, wooden, board, levkas, oil, 35 x 60 cm. 13 3/4 x 23 5/8 in. -
Krystyna Melnyk, Within, 2023 – 2024, Levkas and oil on canvas. 78 × 121 cm – 30.7 × 47.6 in.
Sana Shahmuradova Tanska
Sana Shahmuradova Tanska speaks through a profound non-verbal dialogue in her abstract expressionist works, imbued with a melancholic aesthetic that echoes the trauma of war. Viscous, fluid forms create a dreamlike world of memory, revealing the multi-layered emotional complexities of the present moment. Tanska’s art weaves a rich tapestry of melancholy, spirituality, vulnerability, delicately intertwining beauty and pain, and collididng with the chaos and secrets that lie just beneath the surface.
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Photo by Alina Radomska. -
Memory Trace, 2024, 40×38 oil on canvas, 85 x 49 cm. 33 1/2 x 19 1/4 in. Courtesy of Voloshyn Gallery and the artist. -
On Few Recent Dreams, 2024, oil on canvas, 227 x 204 cm. 89 3/8 x 80 1/4 in. Courtesy of Voloshyn Gallery and the artis. -
Saving an Unborn, 2024, oil on canvas, 85 x 89 cm. 33 1/2 x 35 in. Courtesy of Voloshyn Gallery and the artist.
Lizi Chan
Lizi Chan’s unique, naive style fuses fantasy with darkness, creating a space where innocence meets mystery. Eschewing traditional hatching, she uses bold lines and rich colors to create a distinctive visual language. Her compositions feature deep, theatrical backdrops, placing figures against layers of shadow that enhance the dreamlike intensity. This approach creates a captivating aesthetic that balances whimsy with underlying tension, exploring the delicate line between enchantment and unsettlingness.
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Lizi Chan, Echo of Form: Between Worlds and Symbol, 2024, 140х200, Acrylic on canvas -
Lizi Chan, labyrinth, 2023, Markers on paper, 50×60 -
Lizi Chan, Whisper dinner tonight, 2023, 90 x 80, acrylic on canvas. -
Lizi Chan, scorched desert, 2022, 120 x 210, acrylic on canvas.
Iryna Maksymova
Iryna Maksymova is a figurative artist rooted in Ukrainian primitivism. Exploring themes of femininity and masculinity, her work combines traditional Ukrainian motifs with contemporary forms, creating a visual language that highlights globally resonant issues. Her bold, expressive figures and vibrant compositions bring a fresh perspective to cultural narratives, positioning her art at the intersection of heritage and contemporary discourse.
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Iryna Maksymova, Artist’s studio in Kyiv, Ukraine. -
Iryna Maksymova, Mot Gallery, Lviv, Ukraine. -
Iryna Maksymova, Solo show, Antonio Colombo Gallery, Milan, Italy, photographer: Karina Dolzhenko. -
Iryna Maksymova, Artist’s studio in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Written by Kate Kadeniuk
Kate Kadeniuk, an independent curator and writer based in London, originally from Ukraine, focuses on contemporary art. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Arts Marketing from the University of Hertfordshire and having completed a course in independent art curation at Central Saint Martins, UAL, London, with five years of professional experience, working with Maureen Paley, Frieze, Roman Road Gallery, Hauser & Wirth, 180 Studios, and Nebo Art Gallery. Also a contributing writer for Émergent and NASTY magazines.
