On May 19, 2026, New York will host the large-scale international art project “Modern Freedom,” dedicated to themes of freedom, memory, and life after totalitarianism. Ukraine will be represented by 10 contemporary artists whose works explore the experiences of war, trauma, and resilience. The exhibition will run until August 31 at the Pilitzky Institute in Manhattan, USA.
This was reported by Pylyp Orlyk Foundation.
The official opening ceremony will take place on May 19, 2026, at 3:00 PM, with a public opening at 6:00 PM. The project brings together artists from Central and Eastern European countries, including Ukraine, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Romania, Germany, and Bulgaria.
Organizers emphasize that for Ukraine, participation in “Modern Freedom” is not only an artistic event but also an important cultural presence in New York — one of the world’s centers of international political and humanitarian dialogue. Ukrainian art here will communicate themes of war, freedom, memory, and human resilience through personal stories and artistic imagery.
The opening will be attended by the chief consultant of the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Ukraine Ihor Kharchenko. Diplomats from the participating European countries, as well as artists and cultural figures from New York, are also expected to attend.
The exhibition opens ahead of International Museum Day, whose theme this year is “Museums Unite a Divided World.” The project curators are Piotr Franaszek, Tomasz Koudela, and Wojtek Radtke. The Ukrainian component is coordinated by Pylyp Orlyk Foundation program director Yaryna Yasynevych and head of cultural initiatives Olga Salo.
According to Yaryna Yasynevych, the exhibition will feature over 80 artworks from different European countries, including works by 10 Ukrainian artists: Liia and Andrii Dostlievi, Zhanna Kadyrova, Yarema Malashchuk and Roman Khimei, Sofiia Kozlova, Dasha Chechushkova, Nataliia Lisova, Khrystyna Melnyk, and Serhii Petliuk.
“The works created by people in war are an integral part of the contemporary European space of freedom, which is defended against the brutal advance of authoritarianism. For us and our partners, it was important to present this Ukrainian perspective among the over 80 selected artworks from Europe,” Yaryna Yasynevych emphasized.
The Pylyp Orlyk Foundation partnered on the Ukrainian component of the exhibition, overseeing the selection and presence of Ukrainian artists’ works in the project. Organizers note that in the context of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, art has become an important tool of cultural diplomacy and international dialogue.
Featured works include Zhanna Kadyrova’s project “Palianytsia,” created after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, with sculptures in the shape of Ukrainian bread carved from river stones, which have become an international symbol of Ukrainian resistance.
Other works on display include Khrystyna Melnyk’s “Angel of History” and “Crucified,” Nataliia Lisova’s painting series “Indifferent Space” and “Quiet Space,” the audiovisual installation “Explosions Near the Museum” by Yarema Malashchuk and Roman Khimei, Liia and Andrii Dostlievi’s project “Healing the Wounds of War,” Serhii Petliuk’s video installation “When the Fog Clears,” and Dasha Chechushkova’s textile work “Mara.”
A separate part of the Ukrainian exhibition is Sofiia Kozlova’s project “Lines of Horizons.” Since 2022, the artist has been weaving camouflage nets, selecting fabric colors based on photographs of the terrain sent by soldiers on the front lines. The work combines textile horizons of the nets with real landscapes of de-occupied Ukrainian territories.
“Modern Freedom” will run from May 19 to August 31, 2026, at the Pilitzky Institute, 92 Greenwich Street, Lower Manhattan, New York. The project is organized by the Pilitzky Institute in the USA and the University of Ostrava.
Photo: Pylyp Orlyk Foundation
Author: Danylo Pievchev