Among the most interesting art events in May are an exhibition of illustrations for Bazylevich's “Aeneid”, the contemporary art fair ART KYIV 2026, and a project that interprets the Chernobyl disaster at the Ukrainian House.
“The Endless Aeneid”
until June 14, Ya Gallery
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An exhibition dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the artist Anatoly Bazylevich, the author of the iconic illustrations for Ivan Kotlyarevsky's poem “The Aeneid”. The exhibition includes original illustrations, sketches, and archival materials that formed the “Aeneid” as an independent artistic phenomenon and one of the key visual codes of Ukrainian culture of the 20th century. The “Aeneid” appears as a graphic novel of its era and at the same time as a living story that continues to transform.
“Chernobyl. Shelter”
until June 7, Ukrainian House
To mark the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, a large-scale exhibition “Chernobyl. Shelter Object” opened in the Ukrainian House. The project tells about the culture of Polissya, the memory of the Chernobyl disaster, its interpretation in the works of Ukrainian artists, and the life of the Exclusion Zone today. An important part of the exhibition is the artistic interpretation of the disaster. In particular, the exhibition features the Chernobyl series by Maria Prymachenko, works by Viktor Zaretsky, Ada Rybachuk, and Volodymyr Melnichenko, Lyudmila Meshkova, documentary photographs by Viktor Marushchenko, and works and photographs by liquidator artists Oleg Veklenko and Dmytro Nahurny.
Contemporary Art Fair ART KYIV 2026
Lavra Gallery , May 7–10
In May, a contemporary art fair will be held in Kyiv, which will bring together about 20 galleries, including Mironova Gallery, Abramovich Art, Goldens, Dymchuk Gallery, The Naked Room, Portal 11, Mercury Art Center. The idea of the fair is to introduce a wide audience to the brightest galleries and artists, and this year's theme is THIS IS NORMAL.
During the public days of ART KYIV, guests will be treated to lectures, a performative program, curatorial tours, and special events, which will be additionally announced on social media.
“Fashion for the 60s”
Museum of the History of the City of Kyiv
What was fashion like in the 1960s? How did women dress during a period of scarcity? How could they even create a dress from a curtain? Who were the main fashion designers of the era? This is what the exhibition “Fashion for the 60s” is about, which immerses you in the world of “creativity in times of scarcity,” notes the Museum of the History of Kyiv.
The exhibition begins in the 1950s, during the so-called “Khrushchev thaw”, when the choice of fabrics, accessories, shoes, and household goods increased. In Kyiv, Lviv, Odessa, and Dnipropetrovsk, there were Model Houses – bold ideas were born there, and shows were held. But the path from the catwalk to the factory was long. During the launch of production, models were simplified: every meter of fabric and every technological operation was counted. As a result, the mass buyer received restrained, often uniform clothing made from the most affordable materials. This exhibition is about fashion between dream and possibility.
“Form of the meal”
until May 26, Avangarden
“Form of the Meal” is a sensual and life-affirming exhibition about the meaning of everyday things, the power of a shared table, and the meal as one of the basic forms of human presence alongside others. The exhibition is based on still lifes by Ukrainian artists. Bread, fruits, flowers, dishes, and fabrics in this perspective appear as details of everyday life, as well as symbols of culture and community. The central object of the exhibition is the installation “Feast” by Roman Siroy and Bohdana Slobodianyk – a scene of a frozen celebration, where each element has its own weight and meaning.
“I shook this world”
Museum of the History of the City of Kyiv
The anniversary exhibition “I shook this world” is dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the outstanding Ukrainian artist Ivan Marchuk – one of the most prominent artists of our time, the author of over 5,000 works and the creator of the unique artistic technique of plantanism. A special place in the exhibition is occupied by works from the artist's personal collection: early paintings, portraits, student works, sketches and ceramic panels, most of which have not previously been presented to the general public.
“Another Life”
until June 7, Museum of the Ukrainian Diaspora
“Another Life” is a personal project by Oli Rondiak, an American artist with Ukrainian roots who lives and works in Ukraine. The exhibition “Another Life” explores the cyclical nature of being during war: the destruction that breaks, and the sources from which the strength to endure is born; the pain that separates, and the faith that unites again. The exhibition is built as a journey through thematic spaces, where viewers pass through images of lost lives, life after death, the memory of ancestors, and the daily reality of war.
Olya Rondyak works at the intersection of sculpture and painting, in her works she interprets Ukraine's century-old struggle for freedom. In her new project, Rondyak returns to fabric. Threads, burlap, embroidery, and beadwork become not only formal elements, but also symbolic connections between the past and the present, personal history and collective trauma. The reinterpreted form of the motanka appears as an image of the continuous struggle for survival, and at the same time as a talisman of the resilience of the Ukrainian people.
“Evidence of Life”
May 6–31, “YermilovCenter”, Kharkiv
A personal project of one of the most interesting contemporary Ukrainian photographers, Serhiy Melnychenko, a participant in Paris Photo, Volta Art Fair, Photo LA, Photo Basel, founder of the MYPH school of conceptual and art photography and the MYPH Photography Prize competition.
The exhibition brings together three of Serhiy's photographic series – “War Tattoo”, “Along the Dnieper” and “Films from the Front: Photographs, Letters and Artifacts of Ukrainian Military”, created during the full-scale war in Ukraine. Together, these works form a space in which life appears as a continuous process between experience and its interpretation, between presence and memory. The exhibition does not provide unambiguous answers, but offers to look at the war through individual stories, in which one thing remains the main thing – the fact of life. The exhibition presents photographs, personal belongings of soldiers, such as letters and artifacts, video installations, as well as a short documentary. Together, they form not one story, but many different voices and experiences from the front, from everyday life and from personal experiences.