designboom · Creativity & design

New Book 'Naïve My Love' Chronicles Ukrainian Folk Art

A new 304-page publication, 'Naïve My Love: Ukrainian Folk Art of the 20th Century,' by GUNIA Project and Assouline, aims to recontextualize and preserve Ukraine's dispersed folk art heritage.

The book compiles Ukrainian naïve art from the 20th century, drawing from museum, archive, and private collections. It traces a visual culture developed outside academic institutions, examining its links to folk traditions and the European avant-garde.

Founded in 2017, GUNIA Project's research for this publication involved extensive work with collections and archives across Ukraine, aiming to assemble a fragmented history.

The selected works include paintings, textiles, and decorative objects from institutions like the Ivan Honchar Museum and the National Museum of Decorative Arts of Ukraine, alongside pieces from private collections and families.

Notable artists featured include Maria Prymachenko, Sofia Homeniuk, and Vasyl Dovhoshyia, with works spanning various mediums. The book also documents pieces by unknown artists and those whose homes, like Polina Raiko's, have been destroyed.

GUNIA Project founders emphasize that Ukrainian naïve art possesses a distinct visual vocabulary rooted in local life, spirituality, and humor, differentiating it from broader Soviet or Russian cultural frameworks.

The publication positions this folk art within the international history of art, suggesting it deserves recognition beyond ethnographic or regional categories. It also serves as a source for contemporary artists and designers.

The project highlights the urgency of documenting Ukrainian culture, especially when institutions and cultural memory are vulnerable. The founders hope the book shifts international perceptions and supports Ukraine's participation in global cultural discourse.

AI-samenvatting op basis van de bron.