LOSS OF HOME AS A DOMINANT THEME IN CONTEMPORARY UKRAINIAN ART AFTER THE OCCUPATION OF CRIMEA

Abstract

The article brings into focus the problem of the loss of Crimea and the impossibility of moving freely within its space, a condition that alters the very nature of artistic expression. Whereas landscapes once created directly on the coast were the outcome of lived, immediate observation, they now increasingly appear as reconstructions of memory. This marks a shift from realist depiction toward images shaped by emotional associations. The sea ceases to be a geographical object and becomes a symbol of loss, inaccessibility, and a border separating a former life from the present one. The role of the archive grows substantially. Old photographs from family albums, images of Crimean courtyards, schools, and mosques, as well as documents of deportation and displacement, begin to function as fully fledged artistic material. An important tendency is the growing convergence of art and activism. Artists no longer confine themselves to purely aesthetic expression but take part in public debates, commemorative actions, and human rights initiatives. Art becomes a means of recording crimes, documenting disappearances, the destruction of cultural heritage, and the banning of Crimean Tatar institutions. Under conditions of occupation and forced assimilation, art assumes the role of resistance. It restores a voice to those who are being denied the right to exist in the public sphere.