“Liubov’s Universe”. The First Retrospective Exhibition of Liubov Panchenko

The Museum of Kyiv History, together with its branch — the Sixtiers Museum — present the large-scale art project “Liubov’s Universe”, which will become a symbolic tribute to the life and creative legacy of artist, designer, and Sixtiers movement representative Liubov Panchenko. This is the first retrospective exhibition of the brilliant Ukrainian artist, whose name, sadly, gained wide international recognition only after her tragic death — Liubov Panchenko was killed as a result of the Russian occupation of Bucha in 2022.

What makes Liubov Panchenko’s artistic style unique? Under what circumstances and in what environment was her worldview formed? What was the fate of the talented and beautiful young woman with a black braid reaching her heels, who always spoke Ukrainian and wore clothing with national motifs? Why did she not receive the success and recognition she deserved during her lifetime? And what does the astonishing universe of Liubov Panchenko truly contain?

Today, as Ukraine once again fights for its identity amid the full-scale war, the value of Liubov Panchenko’s artistic heritage acquires profound symbolic meaning, for culture and art are among the most powerful forms of resistance. The artist’s works were always imbued with a spirit of freedom and Ukrainian color; her creativity became a symbol of moral resilience, unbreakability, and the vital importance of preserving national traditions.

“The team of the Museum of Kyiv History is proud that during her lifetime the artist transferred her entire creative legacy to our branch — the Sixtiers Museum. More than 500 exhibits are currently being worked through, restored, and researched by scholars and specialists, and today constitute a true jewel of the Museum’s collection. To open the astonishing artistic universe of Liubov Panchenko to a wide circle of Kyiv residents is our honorable duty and special mission. For her story reminds us that all empires sooner or later disappear, while traditions live on as long as there are those who revive and cherish them,” notes Diana Popova, General Director of the Museum of Kyiv History.

Fashion design sketches, a wide variety of garments and accessories, paintings, collages, decorative murals, photographs, and personal belongings — the exhibition tells the story of Liubov Panchenko’s life in the context of the socio-political processes of her time and through her close circle, which included Viacheslav Chornovil, Mykola Plakhotniuk, Alla Horska, Liudmyla Semykina, and others.

The exhibition will become a comprehensive journey through the multifaceted creativity of the artist, presenting her as an original Ukrainian painter, designer, pattern maker, embroiderer, and researcher of antiquity. The project curators also seek to demonstrate how the artist’s works are reinterpreted, transformed, and become a source of inspiration for contemporary creators. For Liubov Panchenko’s art exemplifies how creativity can speak of pain, loss, and struggle, while at the same time preserving hope.

Exhibition curators: Olena Lodzynska — Head of the Sixtiers Museum, Varvara Sukhenko — Leading Research Fellow
Project experts: Diana Klochko — art historian, essayist, public lecturer; Myroslav Melnyk — fashion historian
Exhibition designer: Kateryna Kostenko
Project patron: Syngenta Company