On March 6, Kyiv hosted the fifth anniversary award ceremony of the annual Women in Arts award. The Resistance award, which UN Women in Ukraine and the Ukrainian Institute recognize the achievements of women in the field of culture and art, and from 2023, their contribution to bringing Ukraine’s victory over the aggressor country Russia closer. The event was supported by the Governments of Sweden and Japan, as well as the United Nations Women’s Fund for Peace and Humanitarian Assistance.
The names of the winners of the Women in Arts. The Resistance 2024:
Women in the Visual Arts – Kateryna Buchatska
Women in Music – Jamala
Women in the Performing Arts – Oksana Dmitrieva
Women in Cinema – Alisa Kovalenko
Women in literature – Yaryna Chornohuz
Women in cultural management – Olga Gonchar
Women in Cultural Journalism, Criticism and Research – Kateryna Yakovlenko
Special mention – Kateryna Pryimak
“The theme of this year’s award is Resistance, the resistance that Ukrainian women are putting up to Russian aggression, amplifying women’s voices and calling for a change in the world’s perception of Ukraine. I am grateful to each and every one of them, who through their tireless work encourages the international community to act. Ukrainian artists are using all their talent and all available means of art to call on the world to act and support Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression,” commented Dmytro Kuleba, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Prize.
The winners of the Prize are determined by an expert council and jury consisting of experts in the field of culture and art, representatives of the public sector and independent institutions. The board and jury consist of 42 members. More information about the experts who selected the winners this year can be found on the award’s website.
“In times of the most difficult challenges, Ukrainian women are proving themselves with exceptional resilience, dignity and determination in every sphere of public life. Their leadership, creativity, and unwavering spirit help to overcome the difficulties of war, and they are the embodiment of true resilience and hope for recovery. Today, we not only admire the unwavering spirit of Ukrainian women in the arts, but also honor the talented women who have died as a result of Russian aggression. This is a moment of great pride, deep sorrow and solidarity with the Ukrainian people,” said Sabine Fraser Günes, UN Women Representative in Ukraine.
Special guests of the ceremony were the multimedia performance project Liniya by Christina Kirik, which combines the worlds of music and theater to create immersive experiences through live performances and sensory installations.
The ceremony was hosted by journalist, presenter, poet and screenwriter Oleksandra Hontar and stand-up comedian and volunteer Vasyl Baidak.
Media partners of the fifth Women in Arts Award ceremony: Starlight Media, Radio Culture and Public Culture and Harper’s BAZAAR.
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the award has acquired a new meaning – recognizing and honoring the resistance and resilience of Ukrainian women artists and the entire Ukrainian people. This idea is reflected both in the name, to which the prefix “The Resistance” was added, and in the symbolic slogan “Until the Storm is Over” chosen for this year’s ceremony.
A minute of silence was observed at the event in memory of the artists who died as a result of Russian aggression.
The winners of the award were presented with the traditional statuettes by sculptor Maria Kulikovska in the form of intertwined female hands. According to the artist, women’s hands symbolize support and protection, as well as women’s labor. This year, the color of the statuettes is a delicate sky blue, symbolizing the light that remains with us in these turbulent times and the hope for a clear and peaceful sky after the war.
Women in Arts is an independent award founded in 2019 by the Ukrainian Institute and UN Women in Ukraine as part of the HeForShe movement for gender equality. The purpose of the award is to draw attention to the achievements of women artists and to popularize Ukrainian culture in the country and around the world. The winners of previous years include Oksana Zabuzhko, Sofia Andrukhovych, Irma Vitovska-Vantsa, Alevtina Kakhidze, Iryna Tsilyk and others.
For reference: The Ukrainian Institute is a state institution under the management of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. The mission of the Ukrainian Institute is to strengthen Ukraine’s international and domestic subjectivity through cultural diplomacy. We establish international cultural ties between people and institutions and create opportunities for Ukrainians to interact with the world.
UN Women is a United Nations entity that focuses on achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women.
HeForShe is a global solidarity movement for gender equality, founded by UN Women, that puts men and boys at the center of change. Since its launch in 2014, the campaign has been joined by heads of state, leading scientists, CEOs of global corporations, athletes, artists, and opinion leaders who share the philosophy of gender equality. The movement was launched in Ukraine in 2018. Support is provided by the Government of Sweden.
