The Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art (UIMA) will host a special literary tribute on Sunday, June 28, at 1:00 PM, marking the closing of its international exhibition Between Voice and Silence. The program is dedicated to the memory of Ukrainian poet, volunteer, and soldier Maksym Kryvtsov (1990–2024), who was posthumously honored as a Hero of Ukraine.

The exhibition, on view since May 1, brings together Ira Bondarenko, Katya Lisova, and Matvii Vaisberg, whose works in ceramics, textiles, and printmaking reflect on resilience, cultural memory, and the endurance of Ukrainian identity amid Russia’s ongoing invasion. The closing event extends the exhibition’s themes into a living tribute, bringing together art, poetry, and personal remembrance in honor of Kryvtsov’s life and legacy.

Kryvtsov, whose debut poetry collection was published only months before his death defending Ukraine, gave the exhibition its title and its emotional core. His poetry, which finds tenderness and humanity amid devastation, threads through each artist’s work, most directly in Ira Bondarenko’s ceramic installation Boat for Maksym (2025), fourteen petal-shaped vessels inscribed with imagery and language drawn from his poems.

Program:

• Artist’s remarks by Ira Bondarenko
• Reflections on Maksym’s life and legacy by his sister, Anastasia Khudaverdyan, the program’s honored guest
• Pre-recorded video messages from Ukrainian poets Svitlana Povalyaeva, Valeriy Puzik, and Yaryna Chornohuz
• Readings of Kryvtsov’s poetry in Ukrainian and English, accompanied by music

The event is presented with support from the Maksym Kryvtsov Foundation (Фонд імені Максима Кривцова). Admission is free and open to the public.

For more information, please contact Alexandra Senycia at alex@uima-chicago.org or visit www.uima-chicago.org.

About the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art

The Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art (UIMA) preserves and promotes contemporary art as a shared expression of the Ukrainian and American experience. Founded in 1971 in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village neighborhood, UIMA has for more than fifty years offered an alternative exhibition space for nationally and internationally recognized artists working outside the mainstream. The Institute presents a robust annual schedule of exhibitions, concerts, literary events, lectures, and films, and is a core member of the Chicago Cultural Alliance.

Location: Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, 2320 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60622 

Gallery Hours: Wednesday through Sunday from 12:00–4:00 PM