For the last couple of years, the multimedia artist Volodymyr Kuznetsov has been documenting volunteers' work in the Kyiv region, as well as working with related materials from the Ukraine War Archive. Kuznetsov focuses mainly on the activities of volunteers who prepare food for soldiers on the frontline. His investigation also includes an inquiry into the organization of volunteer processes, the networks surrounding volunteer initiatives, and the daily work involved, such as the endless weaving of camouflage nets. These volunteers have been working nonstop since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, without rest, pay, or days off.
Over the course of this endeavor, which he began in 2022, Kuznetsov has completed several projects and held a number of exhibitions, concurrently building a database of his findings and presenting the collected materials to the public. At the time of writing, Kuznetsov has completed several interconnected projects: Buckwheat with Meat, From the Anthology of Ukrainian Kitchen 2022-2024, Borshch for Army, and Dryer: Borshch for Army.
Anthology of Ukrainian Kitchen 2022-2024
Anthology of Ukrainian Kitchen 2022-2024 is a series of short videos distributed through social media, e.g., Instagram, meant to bring awareness to volunteer movements in Ukraine. It was created in collaboration with Ukrainian composer Maryana Klochko. This series is a tribute to volunteers and an attempt to investigate the phenomenon of Ukrainian volunteering as a part of the general history of Ukraine. The anthology is based on video materials deposited in the Ukraine War Archive, as well as video and audio recordings from the artist himself.
For this anthology, Volodymyr Kuznetsov uses a vertical 9:16 video format, common on social media. By using a format familiar to internet users, Kuznetsov wants to remind them of the importance of joint action and mutual support during military conflicts and crises. One of the purposes of the project is fundraising to support volunteer groups featured in the artwork.
Borshch for Army
Borshch for Army is a video installation documenting the work of an eponymous volunteer group that was established in March 2022. They prepare dry soups, borshch, cereals, energy bars, and sets of nuts and fruit, and send them to the frontline. With several hundred participants working across all stages—from drying to packaging—the initiative produces around 10,000 servings daily. The majority of the team (90%) are women, of all ages. The organization is very diverse, bringing together people from towns and villages across Ukraine: teachers, bank workers, accountants, farmers, drivers, advertising managers, pensioners, schoolchildren, students, and internally displaced persons—all contributing to a shared cause. Borshch for Army exists thanks to donations, the help of villagers and farmers, and the work of countless volunteers.
Dryer: Borshch for Army
An important element of the installation is an electric dryer used by the Borshch for Army volunteer group. Dehydration is the primary method used by volunteers to preserve food, and electric dryers are essential for preparing dry mixes by removing moisture from the ingredients. As part of the exhibition, a fundraiser was launched to support the purchase of electric dryers, which are now in active use by the Borshch for Army volunteer group.
During the exhibition, produce was continuously dried in the installed electric dryer as a way of immersing visitors in the day-to-day experiences of the Borshch for Army volunteer group. After the installation, the dried goods were delivered to the volunteers’ headquarters.
Buckwheat with Meat
One of the most important and recent works is a documentary audio play with intertitles called Buckwheat with Meat, from the Anthology of Ukrainian Kitchen 2022-2024, created in collaboration with the musician Maryana Klochko. The audio play is meant to mythologize the phenomenon of volunteering in wartime Ukraine and create a relatable narrative for foreigners, many of whom are starting to feel fatigue from the daily media coverage of the war in Ukraine.
Volodymyr Kuznetsov is documenting wartime volunteering in Ukraine in the hopes of winning the hearts of those in Europe, for whom war remains an abstract concept. Volunteering, on the other hand, is a more familiar concept of social interaction, since European societies are familiar with various forms of self-organization and mutual support. Social centers, cooperatives, shared management of resources and assets, unions, associations, institutionalized forms of mutual aid, workers’ movements, and acts of solidarity—all of this has echoes of Europe and reflects European values.
Through the lens of Ukrainian volunteerism, Volodymyr Kuznetsov aims to show the war as something more than a headline in the news—as a living reality where people choose support over fear. His documentation of volunteer initiatives is an archive of gestures of solidarity and public social acts.
Portrait of Volodymyr Kuznetsov by Alina Zamanova.
Volodymyr Kuznetsov is the co-founder of the Straight Line group, the Artistic Council, the CCCK – Center for Communication and Context, as well as the artist group R.E.P. (Revolutsijnyj Experymentalnyj Prostir / Revolutionary Experimental Space). Volodymyr was and is still involved in Maidan and post-Maidan activities, such as assemblies and self-organized initiatives. He takes part in solo and group exhibitions in Ukraine and abroad. Kuznetsov considers memory as a kind of experience and generates new concepts through personal and collective knowledge, using a wide range of media, which consists of working with documentation, discovering archives, drawing and mural painting, embroidery, video and performance art.
