Ukraine Maps (UA), 2025

Reflektor’s special program, Bulletproof Images, celebrates and creates space for Ukrainian culture in Finland and across Europe. As a part of the special program, the Ukraine Maps community project brought together people of all ages to take part in art workshops organized by the Ukraine Help Center. Maria Prymachenko’s works were one the sources of inspiration. Around a hundred drawings and paintings from the workshops were transformed into a large-scale projection mapping.

Maria Prymachenko (1909–1997) was a Ukrainian visual artist who left a lasting mark on Ukraine’s cultural heritage with her paintings of fantastical beasts and the Ukrainian landscape. In February 2022, Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, and dozens of Prymachenko’s works were destroyed in the ruins of the Ivankiv History and Local Lore Museum. A museum representative stated in an interview: “They hate our culture!”

The project was carried out in collaboration with the Ukrainian Association in Finland and was supported by the Ministry of Education and Culture.