On March 10, 2025, the Exhibition Center “Art Space” at Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design (KNUTD) hosted the opening of the art project “Antidote” by Volodymyr Padun.

Volodymyr Padun is a contemporary artist, a member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine, a regular participant in the art group “SQUAT on Olehivska” and in international and national art exhibitions. He is also a veteran and an assistant at the Department of Multimedia Design at KNUTD.

The Rector of KNUTD, Ivan Gryshchenko, Professor, Doctor of Economic Sciences, and Academician of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine, solemnly opened the exhibition, emphasizing the importance of patriotic education for youth. He stressed that in these challenging wartime conditions, art plays a crucial role in shaping national consciousness, strengthening the spirit of students and lecturers.

Ivan Mykhailovych also noted that Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design plays a significant role in shaping a new generation of specialists and designers, for whom art is not only a means of self-expression but also a powerful tool for societal development. The combination of artistic, design, and technical approaches allows students not only to acquire professional skills but also to understand the importance of national culture.

Thanks to this, the educational process fosters not only the creative self-realization of young people but also the formation of conscious citizens who, through art and design, strengthen cultural identity, uphold patriotic values, and build a strong spiritual foundation for the nation. He emphasized that art itself is a powerful means of preserving national identity and supporting the fighting spirit of Ukrainians in this critical time for the country.

Volodymyr Padun sincerely thanked the University’s Rector, Ivan Mykhailovych, for the opportunity to present his project, as well as his family, friends, and colleagues who came to support him.

The author shared that the art project “ANTIDOTE” is his personal experience as an artist and veteran, transformed into a visual reflection on the themes of war and peace. It is an attempt to find a way out of the social and psychological crisis that affects each of us.

The works in the project are created on pixelated camouflage fabric of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, serving as a symbolic canvas for dialogue between military reality and peaceful life. This project highlights the power of art in overcoming the traumas of war. It reminds us that the only way to overcome pain is to create – life, culture, and art.

The art project “ANTIDOTE” is a vivid example of how art can serve not only as a means of self-expression but also as a tool for overcoming post-traumatic experiences. Volodymyr Padun’s creativity is a call to society to remember, understand, and create a new history of Ukraine. To immerse visitors in the atmosphere of the art project, the opening featured a creative video work by Volodymyr Padun – a visual reflection on war and peace, pain and healing, our collective memory, and the future.

The opening of the art project “ANTIDOTE” was attended by distinguished guests who shared their heartfelt congratulations and spoke about the significance of the project.

Oleksandr Tseholnyk, head of the public organization PERFECT ART GROUP, a cultural activist, and the founder and co-author of numerous national and international cultural and art projects, expressed his sincere greetings and best wishes. He emphasized that each image presented in the exhibition is not merely an aesthetic element but a candid revelation of an artist who has experienced war firsthand. At a time when the country is fighting for its freedom, art becomes the voice of the nation’s indomitable spirit and an antidote to the poison of war.

A colleague from Germany Victoria Griza, Honored Worker of Culture of Ukraine, PhD in History, art curator of exhibitions joined the greetings online. She noted that art reveals important topics, and the author of the art project “ANTIDOTE” Vladimir Padun interprets his personal experience on canvas.

The host of the event, Liudmyla Ardelian, an Honored Artist of Ukraine, a renowned Ukrainian theater and film actress, and Associate Professor at the Department of Performing Arts and Culture at KNUTD, noted that the works presented at the exhibition reflect not only the author's personal experiences but also raise the important issue of the human condition in wartime.

During the exhibition tour, Vladimir Padun said that the presented works were performed by him in the period 2014-2025. The idea of the art project originated in 2014, during the hostilities, when the author was a volunteer of the ATO. The author noted, “War is a poison that affects society, changes its thinking, breaks ties. “ANTIDOTE” is not only art, but also a bridge between two worlds: between pain and hope, between past and future”.

The art project “ANTIDOTE” by Volodymyr Padun is open to visitors until March 28, 2025,

at the “Art Space” exhibition center of Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design,

located at 2 Mala Shyianovska St., Building 4.

We invite everyone to visit the exhibition!

14.03.2025