Through the Eyes of the Displaced

The Russian invasion of Ukraine created 6 million refugees, and displaced 8 million people internally. But beyond the numbers, how are their stories told? And how, in the times of media saturation, can those stories command empathy from local populations?

In 2024, we investigated these questions through the artistic residency at the University of Liverpool by artists Andrii Dostliev and Lia Dostlieva, who are among the artists representing Ukraine at the Venice Biennale. Their artwork satirically inquires into the stereotypes experienced by the Ukrainian displaced persons in Europe. The artists were hosted at the Department by Dr. Vid Simoniti, whose recent book ‘Artists Remake the World’ (2023), offers a new theory of political communication through art. Their collaborative project was sponsored by the Arts and Humanities Research Council Impact Accelerator programme. 

Partnering with the Ukrainian Pavilion at Venice Biennale 2024, the Open Eye gallery in Liverpool, and the NGO Ukrainian Photography, the group conducted workshops with local community, academics and curators.   

Our outputs—a new artwork by Andrii Dostliev and Lia Dostlieva, a catalogue essay by Vid Simoniti, and report on political self-expression of displaced persons through art—were featured at the Ukrainian Pavilion at Venice Biennale 2024. 

Visit the Ukrainian Pavilion at Venice pages and read the Guardian’s coverage of the filming of the project. 

Image credit: Andrii Dostliev, Lia Dostlieva, Comfort Work (2024), video installation (video still).