Anna Moskalets, an artist and activist, believes in the everlasting role that art plays on preserving cultural identity, and specifically Ukraine’s outcry of independence and determination in the nation’s current war with Russia. Anna currently lives in Germany but her whole family still resides in Ukraine in the region bordering Russia. Unwilling to leave behind their native homeland, her parents and grandparents have felt the direct effect of the war as Russia temporarily occupied the area they live in.
Saltivka, Kharkiv, 2023 by Vladlena Mamsyk
I understand them because I know how hard it is to be away from your native land, even for a while. I accepted their position and respect it because, as long as Ukrainians live on their land—our borders are strong.
Anna reaffirms her intense belief that if there is a possibility to help, a person should always help. Having studied at Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts, her role is to help establish a concrete and proud Ukrainian identity that shouts to the whole world and makes them acknowledge and pay attention to current events. Especially motivating to the artist is the fact that the topic of the Russo–Ukrainian war has quickly become “boring news”. She asserts that this transition from intense international focus to more of a meek trickle of media is absolutely natural and so just having news coverage would not be enough. A revolutionary new approach is by highlighting the war through art.
“Bring Kids Back UA” Panel Discussion, Bundestag. 2023 by Valeria Buchuk
I have been [committed to using art as a tool for greater global awareness] since the beginning of the war and will continue to do so until its end, i.e. Ukraine’s victory.
Art is louder than bombs. In the course of Ukraine’s history, the people have been subjected to many types of destruction—particularly cultural—but their art and other creations are eternal. Anna explains that the war with Russia has its roots originating in 2014 with the topic of national identity, Ukrainian culture and heritage being extremely vital for her. In her collages working under Art for Resistance, Anna tackles these topics through things such as “markers of war”, objects that are deliberately straightforward in demonstrating how urgent and critical the climate of the war is.
Piece from Anna's Digital Collage
Anna’s favorite work Dialogue, a diptych (art piece of two components), from her Lacuna series was presented in Germany and personally visited by the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Moskalets’s “Dialogue”, Lacuna series
It is essential that I and the million others with me are listened to and heard—so the world doesn’t forget about us. The support of countries and the attention of such important people as the Chancellor of Germany is a great honor.
Incorporating elements of traditional Ukrainian attire, Anna’s artwork is a resounding reminder of her homeland’s resilience and identity. The use of headscarves in her portraits not only pays homage to the everyday lives of Ukrainian women but also fashions these garments into potent symbols of Ukraine’s struggle for their culture. The dreamlike quality of her portraits—figures that stand out or blend into their backgrounds—evoke a sense of synchronization, resonating her personal struggles to her viewers.
As parting words, Anna wishes to provide our readers with some insight and advice. Mainly, she believes that a person discovering and realizing the singular power they have to change lives can only be exponentially increased by working with others. Protests in support of Ukraine around the world are powerful mouthpieces for the truth and your action is a great honor for Ukraine. Most major cities of the world host such activism and the more people there are—the more publicity.
Update:
Recently, Anna has gone back to Ukraine to stay with her family to help them bear through many changes: the men of the family have left or are going to the front, and the rest of the family lives under the constant duress of shelling in their region.
Each of these meetings with my family is a great luxury. And I am well aware that every such meeting in our usual family composition may be the last.
In Ukraine, she would have the opportunity to attend a rally in support of prisoners of war. Several of her friends have survived the terrible conditions of captivity and returned—but many of their comrades are still there. She wishes for all soldiers to quickly return from captivity to their families alive and well.
“Free Azovstal!”, Protest for Soldiers in Captivity