Ukraine Exhibition

Ukraine Exhibition

Chugaister

Chugaister is a remarkable creature from Ukrainian mythology, a forest man, a cheerful, hairy figure who loves to play the fife and dance, but he can also dance a stranger to death. The term Chugaister now also refers to a type of camouflage military uniform that is actively used by Ukrainian defenders in the fight against occupiers.

The weaving of camouflage chugaisters, like camouflage nets, is a process familiar to many Ukrainians today. People often donate their own belongings, clothing that was part of their wardrobe just the day before.

“My chugaister is woven from materials brought by people in a village in Kyiv Oblast, where I was during the first months of the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. People brought everything: old sheets, clothes, whatever they could—each item as if it were a sacrifice for the protection of our common future. I didn’t have fabric dyes on hand, so I used old curtains from the 1940s and 1950s, dyeing them with onion peels. Thus, my skills in using eco-friendly dyes came in handy,” said installation artist Lyudmyla Nahorna.

The sensation of one’s world, everyday life, history, and culture being re-evaluated, shattered into pieces, purified, and transformed into something new—offering confidence, help, and protection to loved ones and those fighting for freedom and identity with weapons in hand—pervades daily life.

“Scarves, like magical amulets, from which invisible armor is woven—armor of protection, endowing the warrior with the power of a mythical being!” said Lyudmyla Nahorna.

Today, Ukrainian theater, scenography, and costume design are undergoing similar processes of renewal. Art is no longer detached from life, and theater in Ukraine is increasingly freeing itself from years of Russian cultural and ideological occupation. Ukrainian artists are now standing up for national identity, just as soldiers stand up to defend their people and land. This installation represents the boundary between material worlds and emotional states that Ukrainian scenographers must navigate in their work and lives today.

Project authors Lyudmyla Nahorna and Kateryna Tyshchenko created the installation based on their personal experiences and the shared experiences of the war that Russia is waging against Ukraine. “The Chugaister, crucified in space, is a symbol not only of sacrifice but also of resilience and unyieldingness,” said Lyudmyla Nahorna.

Project curator: Bohdan Polischuk 

Team: Installation authors Lyudmyla Nahorna, Kateryna Tyshchenko. 

Organizer: GO Gallery of Scenography