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Women at War Gallery
Photos by Aaliyah Solano | Written by Aaliyah Solano | September 19th, 2024
The DCASE’s Women at War gallery — an exhibition that prioritizes women's voices being heard regarding war — features twelve women’s art. All the artists are women who have worked in Ukraine following the country’s ongoing war with Russia. The artwork and objects displayed at the gallery were created and utilized following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, 2022.
Upon entering the Chicago Cultural Center on Sept. 18, located at 78 E Washington St, a dimly lit hallway gets interrupted by a brightly illuminated space that welcomes viewers to the DCASE’s Women at War gallery, curated by Monika Fabijanska. (Photos by Aaliyah Solano).
The exhibit features twelve women’s art — all the artists being women who have worked in Ukraine following the country’s ongoing war with Russia. The artwork and objects displayed at the gallery were created and utilized following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, 2022.
Works from Olia Fedorova and Anna Scherbyna, and Bread, serve as symbols and depictions of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Each piece represents issues such as social media depictions of war, the involuntary involvement of civilians, and the endangering risk of safeguarding your land from intruders at the Women at War gallery. (Photos by Aaliyah Solano).
Lesia Khomenko’s watercolor painting at the DCASE’s Women at War gallery portrays three military men ready for battle. The painting was created in the summer of 2022 and is designed to showcase how soldiers are being depicted in the media. (Photo by Aaliyah Solano).
While the gallery aims to educate visitors and provide insights into the war, there was a lack of attendance at the exhibition.
A hallway encrypted with a description of the event and photographs from the series "Victories of the Defeated" stands alone on Sept. 18 at the Women at War gallery, as hardly anyone attends the exhibition. “I mean you see it,” Dontae Johnson, who works security at the Chicago Cultural Center, said, “No one really shows up here.” (Photos by Aaliyah Solano).
Taking the low attendance rates into account, the DCASE’s Women at War gallery is a must-see art exhibition that provides important information for spectators regarding war and the need for women’s voices in telling and depicting history. For more information on how to attend the gallery visit chicago.gov.
Kateryna Yermolaeva’s pieces displayed at the Women at War gallery illustrate for onlookers the unfair and unjust losses of the lives of women in Ukraine, due to a conflict started by and at the hands of men. (Photos by Aaliyah Solano).