UDC 7.045:688.76[316.75:159.937.515.5]
Nadiia Babii
Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University, Ivano-Frankivsk.
ORCID ID 0000-0002-9572-791X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.37627/2311-9489-28-2025-2.75-88
Keywords: political colour, symbol, art practice, communication, aesthetics, identity, visual culture.
Abstract.
The publication explores the dynamics of the transformation of the blue-and-yellow colour marking and the associated national emblems and slogans in the 20th – second decade of the 21st century into a cult symbol of struggle. It argues that these political signs played a significant role not only as visual symbols of protests in Ukraine, but also in fostering the emotional cohesion of new communities and sustaining collective identity. The role of art in politics is emphasised, examples of creative activism are described, and the effectiveness of using aesthetics in protests by socio-political and socio-cultural actors is demonstrated. The analysis of cultural and artistic practices focuses on their communicative characteristics, dissemination in local environments and beyond. It has been established that the blue-and-yellow marking, which gained symbolic value in local protests of the 20th – early 21st centuries, quickly lost its relevance due to mass use in popular culture; however, under the present exceptional circumstances, it has transcended local boundaries, acquiring the status of a cult symbol. Under these conditions, its semantic characteristics and methods of use have changed.
Author’s biography.
Nadiia Babii, Doctor of Art Studies, professor, Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University, Ivano-Frankivsk.
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The article was received by the editorial office on 16.10.2025.
The article was accepted for publication after review on 04.12.2025.
The article was published on 31.12.2025.
Section: UKRAINIAN CULTURE.