OCAD U Ukrainian Student and Alumni Collective presents first exhibition and auction

Cover photo courtesy of Dmytro Lavrentiev.

OCAD University’s Ukrainian Student and Alumni Collective will present its first exhibition, Eclectic Ukrainian Futures, from Oct. 19 to 26. A reception and auction will take place on Oct. 26 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Great Hall at the Rosalie Sharp Centre for Design, located at 100 McCaul St.

Eclectic Ukrainian Futures will showcase more than 26 artworks from OCAD U students and alums, aiming to bring the diverse perspectives, creativity and talent of the OCAD U community to the forefront, while celebrating Ukrainian culture. 

The charitable auction on Oct. 26 is organized in collaboration with the Canada-Ukraine Foundation and will donate 50 per cent of its proceeds to the AID for ARTISTS fund. This important fund supports artists, arts workers, arts organizations, arts institutions and artist advocates to improve the preservation, promotion and development of Ukrainian arts in Ukraine.

Participants vary from those who were born and raised in Toronto, to those who were born in Ukraine and migrated during the war, to those who were born in Ukraine but have lived in Canada for a longer period.

Ievgeniia Cherednikova, president of the OCAD U Ukrainian Student and Alumni Collective, and fourth-year Drawing and Painting student, came to Canada in May 2022 from Kyiv, Ukraine, during the height of the Russian invasion. 

"It was terrifying and I needed time to heal after. Yet it was evolutionary for me, I became a different person, a better soul," says Cherednikova. 

"Presently, my artwork is mostly about spirituality we express on a daily basis," she says of her own practice. "Healing is part of it. I am particularly attracted to Ukrainian nature. I'm especially allured by pictures from joyful spaces that I inhabit. So far it may be photos of Ukraine my father took, or here in Canada."

Cherednikova expresses she aims to help the community and artists in her homeland through this exhibition and auction.

"A year ago, I never could have imagined that I'd be collaborating with students on a Ukrainian-themed art exhibition at OCAD University," she says. "It's heartening to have met such great supporters among fellow students and to collaborate with them and those who supported this project."

Cherednikova says that for the theme of Eclectic Ukrainian Futures, the collective was inspired by manifestations of the future from Indigenous cultures in Ontario, in particular the Mi'kmaq.

“Also, we were inspired by what it meant to be Ukrainian for each person and an eclectic nature of Ukrainian culture and its future,” she notes.

Third-year Drawing and Painting student and one of the founding members of the Collective, Veronika Bondarenko adds: "At this moment, the global Ukrainian community has a special responsibility to show the world bravery, perseverance, and hope, and I feel grateful to have the opportunity to contribute in my own way."

"Through this exhibition and auction, Ukrainian artists and designers in the OCAD U community have the space to not only touch others emotionally and spiritually, but also donate funds from generous community members to our own country," she says.

The OCAD U Ukrainian Student and Alumni Collective is a student-run collective that was established in May 2023 to bridge the gap between the OCAD U community and Ukrainian culture. Through Eclectic Ukrainian Futures, they aim to envision a future where Ukrainians matter and prosper internally, culturally, environmentally and externally on a global scale.

The exhibition was also a part of OCAD U’s fourth annual Gallery Crawl on Oct. 21, which featured five exhibitions across campus.