The “Awe of Ordinary Labors: Twentieth-Century Paintings from Ukraine” exhibition at the Georgia Museum of Art is free to all and on display until June 1, showcasing 44 paintings by Ukrainian artists working between the 1930s to 1980s.

Alexis Gorby, associate curator of academic and campus engagement at GMOA, gave me a tour of the exhibit. The paintings depicted an era of socialist realism in Ukraine, during which art had to be state-sanctioned by a government intending to promote socialist ideals. Under these strict conditions, many artists incorporated “subversive statements” into their work to capture their true perspectives on the Soviet regime, according to the exhibit description.

One of my favorite pieces was the still life painting, “Peonies,” by Stanislav Antoniuk, in which the artist was able to hide her criticism of Soviet life by painting the flowers in a dark room with somber colors that essentially represented the “dark and joyless” nature of Soviet life.

Being Ukrainian-American myself, I have grown up immersed in Ukrainian culture and am well-versed with its historical background. I appreciate that the museum arranged plaques throughout the exhibit explaining the historical context around the artwork, which I believe did justice to the more somber side of Ukraine’s history.

However, while this specific exhibition represents past Soviet life, I hope the museum can one day showcase Ukraine’s rich, vibrant culture in its entirety.

Rating: 5/5