On the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the largest exhibition of Ukrainian graphic posters in history opened in the United States. The group exhibition Ukrainian Wartime Posters: 2022–2025. The Path of Resistance is on display at the Clifford Gallery at Colgate University in New York State.
The project brings together 309 works by 42 contemporary artists from Ukraine, Poland and France who have created war posters in recent years as an artistic response to the war, a means of counter-propaganda and a way of documenting events. The exhibition is part of the long-term art project Posters of Wartime, launched in 2022 by the international contemporary art residency BIRUCHIY in collaboration with the Zaporizhzhya City Council, the NGO Union of Contemporary Art Researchers (Ukraine) and the American non-profit organisation Platform of Contemporary Ukrainian Art.
Over the four years of the war, poster exhibitions have been held not only in Zaporizhzhya, but also in public spaces and cultural institutions in Japan, the United States, Great Britain, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. The project’s curators emphasise that the poster as a genre remains an accessible and powerful language of communication, capable of addressing war, human rights and cultural resilience.
Human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviychuk spoke at the opening. In a video address, she stressed that Russian propaganda has been denying the existence of the Ukrainian nation and culture for decades, while crimes against the civilian population and cultural heritage are being documented in the occupied territories. According to her, art and visual communication are becoming tools for recording the truth and strengthening international solidarity.
University representatives noted that the exhibition has not only artistic but also educational significance. It invites the academic community to discuss the war through the language of graphic art, which is capable of conveying complex emotions and historical evidence. The lectures and accompanying programmes held as part of the opening were devoted to the role of visual culture in documenting trauma and shaping public discourse.
The project demonstrates broad international support for Ukrainian artists. Artists from Ukraine, France and Poland participated, and the exhibition includes video documentation of previous exhibitions that took place even in the frontline areas of Zaporizhzhya. The organisers emphasise that the posters not only reflect the events of the war, but also preserve the voice of a society that opposes violence and propaganda.
The exhibition will run until 1 May 2026, and admission is free.
According to the curators, this is the largest international review of Ukrainian poster art during the war, demonstrating how creativity can become a form of resistance and cultural diplomacy. The project also promotes deeper cooperation between Ukrainian and foreign art institutions and opens new opportunities for dialogue on democracy, freedom and human rights.