Oles Sanin
National Academy of Arts of Ukraine, Kyiv
ORCID ID: 0009-0000-2225-187X
DOI:
Keywords: war, art, field research, field observations, inventory of valuables, language of art, creative rehabilitation.
Abstract.
This article attempts to provide an answer not from the perspective of a theorist viewing the war from a safe distance, but from that of a practicing artist working within the Ukrainian experience over these years—meeting with soldiers, screening films, speaking with the wounded, veterans, and former captives, visiting hospitals and rehabilitation centers, and observing audience reactions both inside and outside the screening venues. This is not sociology in the strict academic sense, but rather field observation—regular, repetitive, and physically and emotionally close to the reality of the war.
It seems to me that art in wartime exists in a state of constant contradiction. It must be useful—but not merely useful. It must be honest—but not destructive. It must bear witness—but cannot always keep reopening the wound. It must speak to the world about our pain—but must also help us endure that pain ourselves.
Author‘s biography.
Oles Sanin, Vice President of the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine, film director, People’s Artist of Ukraine, Recipient of the Oleksandr Dovzhenko State Prize of Ukraine, Recipient of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine, Kyiv
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PDF (in Ukrainian)
The article was received by the editorial office on 04.06.2026.
The article was accepted for publication after review on 12.06.2026.
The article was published on 30.06.2026.
Vol 29 No 1 (2026)
Section: UKRAINIAN CULTURE.