Ukraine's fate is hanging by a thread. As allied support and global attention wanes, the death toll continues to rise. In the midst of this bleak scenario, the third issue of Soлomiya Magazine presents an impressive mixture of signs of despair and images full of love, beauty and courage. Hovering above it all: the unconditional longing for freedom.
Soлomiya stands for peace
Soлomiya Magazine was launched as an independent print publication in response to the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. "Soлomiya" is a Ukrainian woman's name, which roughly means "peace"; an initially contradictory title for a magazine about war. This is precisely why it aims to serve as a platform for aspiring and established Ukrainian creatives to express their longing for an end to the war. They use a wide range of creative means to share personal experiences, emotional observations and intellectual discourse.
The harsh reality of war
With their photographs and questions, artists such as Vsevolod Kazarin encourage us to reflect on the concepts of masculinity in war, while Alex Mashtaler's previously unpublished photographs confront youthful innocence with the harsh reality of war.
Ivanna Kozachenko and the artist collective Commercial Public Art explore the spatial strategies of the architecture erected by the Russian armed forces in the occupied territories. Essays by Lucy Zoria and Sebastian Wells offer a variety of perspectives on the life experiences of young Ukrainians abroad.
An outstanding series of portraits entitled "War Dreams" by the Italian photographer collective Caimi&Piccini, for example, captures the thoughts of a young soldier from Odessa who longs for "a journey, a flight and freedom". This series sheds light on the emotional turmoil of war from the perspective of those fighting on the front line.
The third edition of Soлomiy also offers insights into Ukraine's colonial past and current militarization through interviews with well-known personalities such as Asia Bazdyrieva, Maxim Dondyuk and Henrike Naumann. These conversations provide a deeper insight into the complex contexts that shape the country - as well as realities that Russia has been trying to silence for many years.
A great defiance
The third, 132-page issue of Soлomiya in 23 × 31 cm format was once again sensitively designed by the Scrollan collective and printed climate-neutrally and vegan; the publisher is SHIFT BOOKS (International), with support from the reseller Readellion in Ukraine. The editorial design takes readers into the deepest corners of Ukrainian reality with an impressive selection of texts and images. The editorial team of Soлomiya, consisting of Sebastian Wells, Vsevolod Kazarin, Andrii Ushytskyi and Ivanna Kozachenko, worked closely with Kollektiv Scrollan on the creative vision of the magazine, which aims to raise awareness of the realities of war while also conveying the courage and pride of Ukrainians. "We felt a great sense of defiance during the implementation," says designer and design professor Barbara Kotte from the Scrollan collective.
The third issue of Soлomiya was published on March 13, 2024 and is another milestone in artists' decolonial engagement with Ukraine's environment of imperial aggression.
Order the Soлomiya Magazine #3 here
More about the performing collective Scrollan
We presented the first issue of Soлomiya Magazine in issue 01.23 "Bars & Drinks", order here
