During the war, everything is tested for strength in a literal and figurative sense: the country, culture, people, cities, ideas, relationships, technology... Therefore, on the one hand, the feeling of fragility of existence is strengthened, on the other hand, the desire for protection and strengthening grows. In order to save themselves, Ukrainians today need not only "iron nerves", but also iron weapons and an "Iron Sky" protected from Russian air attacks.

Ukraine proved to be strong enough to withstand the first days of a full-scale Russian attack. But the key factor of Ukrainian defense capability was not technology, but heroism and unity in the face of common danger. The video about Ukrainians resisting the invader without the necessary equipment and equipment instantly went viral on social networks and continued to exist as internet memes.

It is enough to recall a poster about a Ukrainian tractor hunting a Russian tank, or variations on the theme of the sinking of a Russian warship... However, the realities of war are not only heroism and moral endurance, but also a lot of suffering,

injustice and grief, which also finds its expression in artistic practices. Images of ruins, portraits of victims, wounded bodies, destroyed houses, ugly creatures that personify chaos, crime and brutal aggression. Such images are now an integral part of wartime visual culture.

The inner need to overcome vulnerability and the premonition of reconstruction are also well conveyed by the urban figures of concrete people and building structures, which continue their lives in abstractions, street art and street poetry. War takes away new attributes of peaceful life every day.

Even familiar words such as "beech", "alder", "hail" now acquired additional military meanings.

At the same time, "DRG", "Point-U", "Javelin", "Bayraktar", "iron dome", "grain corridor" appeared in the usage of civilians, which are gradually included in the texts of war songs.

Ukrainians have proven that they know how to survive in extreme conditions without losing their dignity and self-respect. However, the iron sky still remains mostly the object of dreams and artistic projects, rather than reality.

Curators: Anton Logov, Andriy Sydorenko

Participants: Nazar Bilyk, Maryana Goncharenko, Yuriy Denisenkov, Andriy Dudchenko, Anton Logov, Yevhen Prymachenko, Yuriy Syvyryn, Viktor Sydorenko, Andriy Sydorenko, Oleg Tistol, Mykyta Tsoi, Andriy Yakovenko

The opening of the exhibition project will take place on August 26, from 16:00 to 18:00 (admission is free).