Since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022, Ukraine has resisted bravely. For over three years, video footage and photographs have been broadcast around the world, documenting events that simply should not be happening in the 21st century.

Against that backdrop, UKUfest 2025 – Estonia's first festival focusing exclusively on Ukrainian contemporary art – begins in Tallinn this weekend. And, as head organizer Alice Järvet tells ERR News, UKUfest is far more than just another festival.

"It is also a way to show support for Ukraine and its culture – a cultural diplomacy movement that believes creativity always wins," Järvet says.

"When a country is at war, art takes on an even deeper meaning," she explains.

"It becomes a lifeline. A way to say: 'we're still here.' It holds the voices of those who can't speak anymore, and it gives strength to those still standing. And it is a way to feel and express the pain of injustice."

Starting on Friday, May 9, UKUfest will introduce a diverse spectrum of Ukrainian artists to new audiences at a range of different venues across the Estonian capital. From documentary photographers to street artists, illustrators to performance artists, six different Estonian galleries are "putting their backs together to bring viewers an eclectic kaleidoscope of Ukrainian art," Järvet says.

Vulnerability of culture

One of the more unique works at UKUfest will surely be "Camouflage" – a temporary activation of the A. H. Tammsaare sculpture in Tammsaare Park by artist Daria Koltsova.

"During the activation, the sculpture will be covered with a camouflage net made of cut paintings on canvas created by Daria and artworks donated by other artists from Estonia. The net was created over 2 weeks with the help of numerous volunteers and professional Estonian camouflage-net weaving communities," Järvet tells ERR News.

"Camouflage" will exist for just four hours, during which time it aims to explore the vulnerability of culture and the protective power of creativity during wartime.

"There will be no opening ceremony; it is a quietly thought-provoking artistic action that also guides the audience further into the galleries," Järvet says.

"We believe this intervention in urban space will bring the audience emotionally closer to the current mental state of Ukrainian citizens. It also explains a little bit about why we started UKUfest."

Art matters

Using art as a medium, UKUfest aims to show a side of Ukraine that people may not have seen before.

As Järvet explains, it is through songs, paintings, films and poems that cultures under threat, like Ukraine, can share their unique stories with the world.

"Art matters, not only for Ukraine, but for all others as well – because it holds the soul of a nation, the roots. It's how we remember who we are, where we've been, and what we dream of becoming. "(It's how) we make sense of the beauty and the heartbreak. Even when everything else is falling apart, art can carry hope, truth, and memory across borders and generations."

During a war in which Russia aims to destroy everything about Ukraine, Järvet points out that preserving and showcasing art is not just about saving physical objects.

"It's about protecting identity. It's an act of love. Of defiance. Of refusing to let anyone erase who they are and who we are. We may cut down the tree, but the root will stay alive and continue to give new life. I think that is a perfect metaphor for why we are showing our support to Ukrainian artists and culture through our festival."

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UKUfest 2025 takes place from May 9-15 in Tallinn at ArtDepoo, Fotografiska, Galerii Truus, Juhan Kuusi Dokfoto Keskus and Temnikova & Kasela art galleries.

The works on display during the festival have been created by Ukrainian artists Tanja Ruda, Taras Bychko, Vira Minailova, Maya Kolesniku, Pavlo Mazai, Daria Koltsova, Polina Kuznetsova, Viktoria Berezina, Anton Hudo, Roman Minin and Andrii Palval. Many of the works have been produced specially for the festival, and an auction will be held on May 13 at the Noblessner Foundry in Tallinn, with works sold to support the artists involved.

The performance of "Camouflage" by Daria Koltsova  takes place at the A. H. Tammsaare sculpture in Tammsaare Park on Saturday, May 10 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Many of the exhibitions will remain on display until August 10.

More information about UKUfest 2025, including the full program, is available here.

More information about UKUfest's satellite program, which includes more Ukranian art exhibitions in Tallinn can be found here.

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