“Tylovi Spravy” (“Homefront Affairs”) is a residency program by the Municipal Art Center, where artists create projects to support and rehabilitate veterans and those affected by the war.
In July 2024, the Municipal Art Center launched the residency program “Tylovi Spravy.” The program was designed in response to the demand from the artistic community to address the needs of friends and relatives returning from the war or undergoing rehabilitation in Lviv. Currently, ten projects are being implemented by artists for veterans and their families.
According to WHO research, interaction with culture and art has a positive impact on people’s mental and physical health and promotes the social integration of those experiencing trauma.
Over the course of seven weeks, 12 multidisciplinary artists attended lectures, participated in practical workshops on art therapy, studied the principles of non-violent communication and inclusive urban transformations, and learned about successful cases of rehabilitation projects.
Among the invited lecturers and artists of the “Tylovi Spravy” residency program are psychiatrist and sexologist Myroslava Dzis, head of Lviv’s veteran hubs Andrii Zholob, photographer Marta Syrko, veteran and artist Yurii Vovkohon, psychologist and art therapist Liudmyla Pidlypna, the ReStare authenticity preservation workshop, and many others.
Artists participating in the program had the opportunity to join individual and group supervision sessions, receiving expert advice on their projects to ensure safe and comfortable interactions with vulnerable groups.
They also held meetings with rehabilitation patients from the National Rehabilitation Center UNBROKEN, the first habilitation center in Ukraine, Habilitation, and the Lviv Military Hospital. Additionally, they visited inclusive spaces and projects, such as the “Mriya Workshop” and “Olia Stavnykovych Studio,” and attended human rights training sessions facilitated by UNESCO representatives. This comprehensive training and hands-on practice allowed participants to develop their own ideas for support projects through culture.
Lyana Mytsko, director of the Municipal Art Center and author of the “Tylovi Spravy” residency program, noted:
“The idea behind Tylovi Spravy was to offer culture as a way to support and rehabilitate veterans and those affected by the war. For some of them, stepping onto the grounds of the Municipal Art Center is their first outing after hospital surgeries. We are fostering inclusivity by creating accessible spaces, exhibitions, and educational programs. Meetings and interactions between veterans, their families, and artists offer new perspectives and ways to process and understand where we are and how we feel. Art has always been a great path to change.”
Current “Tylovi Spravy” projects being implemented in Lviv:
- Tattooing courses for veterans and military personnel, by Maria Ramko (Abra) through an open call.
- Painting 3D models of military pickup trucks to depict personal military journeys, by Oleksandr Kuchynskyi with rehabilitation patients from UNBROKEN and the Habilitation hub.
- Art courses for wives of fallen soldiers, by Veronika Cherednychenko at the Municipal Art Center.
- A zine exploring the Donbas region through the lens of veterans, by Vitalii Matukhno and Mashika Veshedska.
- Graffiti workshops for veterans and military personnel, by Mykyta Viska through an open call.
- Interactive performances for veterans’ families and displaced persons, in collaboration with the Lviv Puppet Theater, by Kateryna Drozd and Ihor Tymoshchuk.
- Printmaking workshops for veterans and their families, by Mariia Pliatsko at the Printing Academy workshop, through an open call.
- Workshops on creating “Cities of Memory” cardboard installations with veterans in rehabilitation and internally displaced persons (IDPs), by Uliana Shabel with participants from the Habilitation hub and the Mariapolis modular town. Two exhibitions will be held at the Military Hospital and the modular town.
- Photo stories of veterans with high-level amputations, “One More Step,” by Stanislav Ivanov with the Next Step rehabilitation center and the Municipal Art Center.
- A comic book based on interviews with military personnel, by Bohdana Davydiuk and Marianna Maksymova (Eva Rayska).
Project Participants:
- Veronika Cherednychenko (Kherson, Lviv). Contemporary visual art, graphics. Veronika creates works about the fears associated with war. Her series includes drawings, digital graphics, videos and VR experiences that explore deep experiences and emotions in war.
- Bohdana Davydiuk (Lviv). Illustrator, artist specializing in posters and murals, creates illustrations and book covers, author of the design for the program “Tylovi Spravy” . Bohdana’s main focus is personal stories, which she processes in the format of comics and posters, creating emotional and socially important works.
- Vitaliy Matukhno (Lysychansk, Lviv). Curating, book production, analog and digital photography, video art, experimental music. Vitaliy is the author of the project “Gareleya Neotodresh”, dedicated to preserving the memory and identification of the eastern region of Ukraine. He strives to implement high-quality integration of military personnel into artistic life, using various media.
- Ulyana Shchabel (Lviv). Digital animation, graphics, collage, cardboard installations. Ulyana explores themes of memory, traumatization, temporality, and the impact of time on changes in life and society. Her artistic practice focuses on memorialization and collective trauma, emphasizing that memory is a process of constant change that reflects individual and collective experiences.
- Oleksandr Kuchynsky (Sevierodonetsk, Lviv). Painting, collage, graphics. Oleksandr is the author of the collage series “13th Region” and the blog “Industrial Paradise”. He participated in the projects “View of Two Thousand Yards” and “+/- INFINITY”. His works explore urban themes and cultural changes in the post-industrial space.
- Mykyta Viska (Lviv). Street art, teaching. Mykyta teaches a graffiti course at the “School of the Free and the Carefree” and actively develops informal art education. Participant of numerous festivals and projects in Ukraine. The artist notes the therapeutic effect of graffiti and seeks to share this experience.
- Mashika Vysedska (Bakhmut, Ivano-Frankivsk). Visual Arts. For the past two years, Mashika has been working on a series of portraits called “People,” her artistic response to the invasion. This series, made in mixed media on wrapping paper and cardboard using gouache, acrylic, color concentrates, markers, and oil pastels, was created between August 2022 and June 2023. “People” reflects the artist’s experiences and her interactions with various communities and individuals.
- Mashika Vysedska (Bakhmut, Ivano-Frankivsk). Visual Arts. For the past two years, Mashika has been working on a series of portraits called “People,” her artistic response to the invasion. This series, made in mixed media on wrapping paper and cardboard using gouache, acrylic, color concentrates, markers, and oil pastels, was created between August 2022 and June 2023. “People” reflects the artist’s experiences and her interactions with various communities and individuals.
- Maria Plyatsko (Lviv). Easeline graphics, applique, ceramics. Lithography teacher at the Ukrainian Academy of Printing and tutor of collective courses in lithography and collage for artists. Maria strives to create a sustainable creative environment that will support veterans and all those interested in creative work. She conducted creative classes with patients of the Unbroken rehabilitation center based on the Municipal Art Center.
- Maria Ramko (Abra), (Lviv, Berezhany). Painting, tattoo art, restoration. This year Maria will begin studying to become a psychologist. She runs her own furniture restoration business, has significant experience in tattoo art and managing a tattoo studio, in particular, working with military clients.
- Katya Drozd (Bakhmut, Lviv). Sketching, collage, modeling, graphic design. Katya strives to support veterans, as she considers it the duty of every civilian. With artistic experience and a desire to help soldiers integrate through art, she worked in open-air spaces in the space of a military hospital, creating projects that contribute to rehabilitation.
- Eva Raiska (Drohobych). Documentary reporting, photography, documentary theater. Eva focuses on documentary art reporting, her key project is writing reports about the experiences of veterans after returning from war. An important topic for her is war, which she continues to work with in her documentary and visual projects, which is a valuable experience for both a journalist and an artist.
- Igor Tymoshchuk (Lviv). Graphic design, visual art, social communications, conceptual photography. One of Igor’s latest projects is “Unseen Power” at the “Ukrainian House”, dedicated to non-violent resistance in the occupied territories. He has experience in communicating with war victims, which shapes his approach to social themes in art.
Marta Sloboda, project manager of “Tylovi Spravy,” shared:
“During the program, we noticed that military personnel in rehabilitation centers were independently initiating collaboration with artists, seeking opportunities to communicate and engage in creative practices. This affirms the need for such interactions, and we are committed to developing projects further, gathering feedback, and creating methodological recommendations based on our experience.”
The current phase of the program will continue until October 11. You can follow its progress on our website and Instagram.
About the program
“Tylovi Spravy” was developed by the NGO “Cultural Agency ‘Escape Line'” as part of UNESCO’s efforts to support mental health and well-being in Ukraine. The program is implemented with the support of the Lviv Cultural Hub, the Lviv Municipal Art Center, and funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).
