What does it mean to visit a country at war when your own is at peace? In this personal report from Ukraine, curator and writer Sofia Baldi Pighi reflects on her journey through Kyiv and Kharkiv in the spring of 2023. Moving between drone alarms, bombed-out buildings, and underground shelters, she encounters not only the scars of conflict but also the quiet, stubborn presence of everyday life. In Kharkiv, a small paint and brush shop remains open—selling nothing essential, except perhaps the very tools of survival: those for making art. The article is not a report on war, but a meditation on resistance, perspective, and the fragile power of culture amid devastation.
TEXT: Sofia Baldi Pighi
The brush shop on the edge of war is open
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- Nero Editions
Exibart
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Article, Review
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DATES
February 2025
The brush shop on the edge of war is open
ARTICLEExibart
Sofia Baldi Pighi
What does it mean to visit a country at war when your own is at peace? In this personal report from Ukraine, curator and writer Sofia Pirandello reflects on her journey through Kyiv and Kharkiv in the spring of 2023. Moving between drone alarms, bombed-out buildings, and underground shelters, she encounters not only the scars of conflict but also the quiet, stubborn presence of everyday life. In Kharkiv, a small paint and brush shop remains open—selling nothing essential, except perhaps the very tools of survival: those for making art. The article is not a report on war, but a meditation on resistance, perspective, and the fragile power of culture amid devastation.