The War on Art
"I was happy to watch the new feature documentary the War on Art. The film, shot in Kharkiv, Kyiv, London, Paris, and other locations, is a story of resilience in the face of destruction, where the struggle to save art is part of the battle to save a nation." - Natalia Shpytkovska. The event took place during Art Basel 2025 in Basel.
Through powerful stories, gripping re-enactments, and an exploration of Ukraine’s contemporary art scene, the film reveals that art is more than a passive witness to history, but a force for a nation’s survival.
It tells a story from the February 24, 2022, the day of the invasion, when Google locations of Ukrainian museums were switched off, and Ukrainian art went underground. With the enemy threatening cultural centres in cities like Kharkiv and Kyiv, an army of volunteers rose to protect Ukraine’s artistic heritage from annihilation. Zhanna Kadyrova, Alevtina Kakhidze, and Nikita Kadan are among the featured artists in the film.
The movie had private preview screenings in major cities around the world, and it's likely to appear at international film festivals.
“Art has this very special ability — it is able to make war history in real time.” — Nikita Kadan
“The human memory is limited. That is why we need culture.” — Alevtina Kakhidze
“People who live in a peaceful country can’t understand us because they cannot imagine what is real war. What is real war with Russia”— Zhanna Kadyrova