FOR THE SAKE OF THE LETTER

The project "FOR THE SAKE OF THE LETTER" is the harrowing response of Ukrainian female artists to a crime that is barely seen in the shadow of war: the abduction of relatives by Russian troops.

Behind every cutout, behind every collage, lies the story of a child, a father, or a mother violently torn from their life. These are families torn apart and existences erased.

It is estimated that Russia has abducted 15,250 Ukrainian civilians, many of whom are children.

This Tokyo exhibition gives a voice to the missing and confronts us with the unfathomable trauma of thousands of Ukrainian families. It is an act of resistance and an urgent reminder: listen closely, because this is the reality of war.

The project uses portraits of wives and relatives of prisoners who are held in the territory of the aggressor state, Russia.

The portraits were taken by the renowned Ukrainian photographer Olena Morozova [@olenamorozova.art]. Later, these photos, along with snippets of original letters, served as the basis for the works of 24 female artists from the CUTOUT COLLAGE ART PROJECT residency. The artists’ goal: to inform about the problems of captivity and to create the possibility of correspondence between Ukrainian prisoners.

The exhibition features works by the residents of the CUTOUT COLLAGE ART PROJECT: Olena Morozova, Lesia Aikhert, Marta Andrusenko, Daria Balova, Hanna Denysenko, Iryna Dunaeva, Anna Zhukova, Daria Zymenko, Jen Kogan, Oksana Maiarchuk, Valeria Miroshnikova, Victoria Ostrenko, Valeria Roscheniuk, Ganna Rusyava, Annete Sagal, Alisa Salnikova, Anna Samoilovych, Maryna Siliakova, Katya Syta, Olha Syta, Julia Sonata, Liubov Stegnienko, Tetiana Tretiakova, Yaroslava Shkolna, Anna Vlasenko, Iryna Kudryashova.

Ideologist of the project and concept: Katya Syta

Curators: Annete Sagal [@theannete], Katya Syta [@katyasyta]

Technical curator: Olena Kushnarova [@okushnarova]

Organizers: Ukraine House Japan (NPO)

With support of: PASONA, The Embassy of Ukraine in Japan

Under the patronage of: CUTOUT COLLAGE ART PROJECT [@cutout.festival]

Poster: Ganna Rusyava [@rusyava.art]

Collage on poster: Katya Syta [@katyasyta] with the portrait of Olena Fokova [@olena__fokova]

Information provided by: Center for Civil Liberties [@center_for_civil_liberties]

Venue: Annex Aoyama  https://www.annex-aoyama.com/