Cats Resilience: War as a Condition of Coexistence
Cats Resilience: War as a Condition of Coexistence
*The image is provided for illustrative purposes only and does not represent the final visual content of the project.
“Cats of Resilience: War as a Condition of Coexistence”
is a mobile exhibition of works by Ukrainian military photographers that bridges military and civilian realities through artistic practice.
The project explores the coexistence of humans and animals in wartime as a shared and accessible experience, creating a point of connection between civilian and military audiences.
“Cats of Resilience: War as a Condition of Coexistence” continues the systematic work of the NGO “BOLD IN ACTION” focused on supporting military artists who maintain their artistic practice under wartime conditions.
The project builds on previous international initiatives, including the ZMINA Resilience programme project “Trajectory of Integration: Pixel Creativity.”
War as a Condition of Coexistence
A little more about the project
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Three military photographers will be engaged in the creation of the exhibition. They are selected based on their ability to operate along the frontline, the cultural and research-based dimension of their practice, and their motivation to explore and present the relationship between soldiers and animals as a potential point of cultural connection.
The photographers will approach the subject through diverse photographic practices — including fine art, commercial, and documentary photography — allowing for a multiplicity of perspectives and demonstrating the range of visual approaches within a shared thematic framework.
As part of the project, the photographers will conduct field research along the frontline, producing and collecting photographs, video materials, and short testimonies. The research focuses on how animals appear alongside soldiers, the roles they take on, and how forms of interaction and communication emerge in this environment.
The naming of animals is also considered a significant element, as it often reflects personal interpretation and becomes a way of processing lived experience.ience.
The exhibition will be presented in five small Ukrainian cities (with populations under 100,000), including Bakhmach, Chortkiv, Boryspil, Makariv, and Kopychyntsi, in cooperation with local cultural institutions.
The exhibition is developed as a multidisciplinary format that brings together visual, textual, and video materials within a unified curatorial structure.
The main visual component consists of photographs created by military artists during field research. These works are complemented by selected materials collected through an open call for non-professional servicemen and veterans. Integrated as a secondary layer, they expand the scope of the project and introduce additional perspectives on the subject.
A separate layer of the exhibition - research into names
War as a Condition of Coexistence
Shkvarochka
Starlink
Chamoroshne
Blindazh
Baggy
Horlohryz
An additional element of the research will consist of textual fragments — the names given to animals.
These names reveal a form of language shaped by humor, tension, and the lived experience of coexistence.
This approach resonates with historical naming traditions, particularly from the Cossack era, where names often carried expressive or ironic meanings (for example, "Neizhsalo"). This logic continues in contemporary wartime contexts (for example, a cat named "Chamoroshne").
Bulka
Chef
Syrskyi
Ebolai
Madeliani
Video
Thank you for your attention to our project.
We are interested in collaborating with you and consider this partnership an important step in advancing Ukrainian culture.We appreciate your consideration and look forward to the opportunity for further cooperation.
