Blue and yellow float as trendy colors. In Ukraine, drawing represents a real act of resistance. Soldiers’ badges, propaganda posters, frescoes and tattoos: iconography of all kinds supports and underpins the war effort.
Olesya Drashkaba shows us her studio with her phone. Colourful, almost cheerful paintings adorn the walls of his studio from floor to ceiling.
“All Ukrainians started to be artists during this war,” says the painter. There’s so much creativity to be had, so many ideas for memes, postcards, songs. There is a lot of material. »
She oversees, curates and runs the Sunseed (“sunflower seed”) art gallery in Kyiv. His team of twenty people spends his days sublimating the horrors of war. “I want to draw as much as possible during this war. It is really important to have this reflection. Every day something new happens,” she says.
The first symbol to emerge from the battlefield was the “Holy Javelin”, a revival of an Orthodox icon wielding the popular “Javelin” bazooka. Then, the images of the Russian ship Moskva sinking off Ukraine before a soldierly middle finger emerged everywhere from stamps to street murals.
“It is certainly one of the great symbols of the war. He’s a simple guy who answered a huge Russian ship. It is a strong symbol. Every Ukrainian has enormous power within them”, illustrates Olesya Drashkaba.
These days, Ukrainian works are inspired by the lack of electricity — a consequence of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. “We have a lot of images with light, because we have problems with light. We’re going to take up the adage “without you” [le Russe], in the sense of “without light, but without you”, without Russia. Without heat, but without you. »
This relentlessness is part of a battlefield for the preservation of local culture, points out Olesya Drashkaba. “They are destroying our art, our monuments, the history of Ukrainian heroes. So, we are rewriting our history, with the names of our artists and our writers. »
Far from it, a hatred animates his brushstrokes. “There is a phrase I often repeat to myself: ‘Hate your enemies, but not your friends.’ Its very important. Any hatred I may have for them, I try to have equal love for Ukrainians. »
Selling art isn’t just good for the soul, says the art gallery curator. “We are contributing to the war effort. When you buy a poster, 50% of the income goes to the artist, and 10% goes to the Ukrainian army or another organization that you can choose, for example children’s aid. »
An army of designers
Ukrainian art is making its way to the depths of the trenches. Youri and a dozen employees make thousands of military badges in Odessa that will end up on the shoulders of soldiers at the front. “The generators allow us to produce non-stop,” he explains on the phone between two power cuts.
His company “Chevron Patriot” was already on a war footing in February 2022. It manufactured large quantities of badges for “bikers, paintball players”. At the turn of February 2022, requests exploded. Hundreds of new brigades were hastily formed, each requiring unique military iconography.
This request for new images is inspired by the organization of the Ukrainian army. Unlike the Canadian army, where the top of the chain of command makes decisions, including those on the formation of regiments, the Ukrainian army relegates these tasks to the bottom of the chain. Ukrainian soldiers recruit their members, arm themselves and finance themselves. This reflex of autonomy inherited from Soviet distrust of central power forces commanders to create a real trademark around their brigade. The number of emblems thus created is enough to make you dizzy.
Arrow, cannon, swords, skulls: the symbols of death have a great part in this embroidery of war. Trident, sunflower, dill flower, Tatar haircut: the historical symbols of Ukraine have never looked so good.
This military freedom grants an almost limitless creativity. The only limits: “Anything that promotes racism, nationalism or undermines our government,” says Youri. We don’t produce them. We only produce what is against our enemies. »
“In general, people decide for themselves the aesthetics [de leur écusson]. When they contact us, they have an idea: “I want a tank, or a particular weapon, or the symbol of Ukraine [le fameux trident], or the flag.” Then our designers create the pattern and have it approved. Humor often comes up as the first choice. “The Burning Boat is very, very popular,” he confirms.
His pieces of fabric also appeal to collectors around the world. “We receive orders from elsewhere a few times a month, such as recently from Spain and Italy. But I am especially happy to be able to help my compatriots to have a job. It’s very hard here for civilians. Many people no longer have a home. And about 80% of the companies here don’t work anymore. »
The war in the flesh
The appeal of Ukrainian symbols has changed dramatically over the past year. The tattoo artist Alexander Sheka, established in the capital, can testify to this.
“I remember in 2020 I gave a guy a skull with yellow and green eye sockets. He said, “Wow, no, man. Yellow and green is almost yellow and blue, but I don’t want to wear the flag of Ukraine. It’s embarassing [cringe].” Now people are deliberately opting for a patriotic tattoo. »
Seen until now as a luxury, the tattoo has become commonplace. Reporters, journalists, volunteers, doctors and, of course, soldiers, raise their hands to engrave in their flesh a memory of this conflict. “Many servicemen and journalists come to get tattoos and say it’s the only thing that helps them distance themselves from their experience. The tattoo has become a kind of psychotherapy. Among those who took part in the hostilities, the demand for aggressive tattoos decreased. I feel like people have poured out all their anger, and now they just want to see something positive about themselves. On the other hand, many migrants and people who were all the time far from the front are asking for more aggressive tattoos,” notes Alexander Sheka.
Quite proud to support those who defend his country, he remains surprised by this historic reversal. “Before the war, the most unpopular symbol, if you can call it that, was the combination of yellow and blue. Now it’s the hit of the season. »