A Dialogue with Art: Launching the Cultural Code Platform
On August 8, following a difficult night of Russian attacks, the Aspen community gathered for a curator-led exhibition tour and a meeting with Ukrainian artist Ganna Kryvolap and her works.
The gathering marked the launch of Cultural Code, a new art platform initiated by Aspen Institute Kyiv members and Community Council members Serhiy Zhyla and Nataliya Morozova.
As Serhiy Zhyla noted, after such a difficult night, the gathering was intended to offer the community a space for emotional recovery through art, beauty, creativity, and simply being together. The initiators chose to open Cultural Code with Ganna Kryvolap, an artist whose work they have long known and valued.
Surrounded by her paintings, the conversation became a journey through Ganna’s childhood, creative path, memories, worldview, and her way of seeing and experiencing the world through color. It was a dialogue between the artist and art, between her works and the participants, and between color and what each person saw and felt within it.
Following the conversation, participants moved from observing art to experiencing the creative process themselves. During an intimate painting workshop, they had the opportunity to work with professional materials and explore the technique used by Ganna Kryvolap, creating works of their own.
According to Nataliya Morozova, co-initiator of the platform, this is only the beginning of Cultural Code. More gatherings, artists, creative practices, and conversations about culture are ahead — exploring how it can help us better understand ourselves and one another, maintain our inner resilience, and continue creating even in the most difficult times.
Aspen Institute Kyiv thanks Serhiy Zhyla, Nataliya Morozova, and Ganna Kryvolap for the idea and its realization; Olesia Kramarenko, Aspen Community Coordinator, for organizing the event; Ascania for its hospitality; and all participants for their presence and creative contribution.
All contributions for participation in the painting workshop were donated to the Lviv Children’s Gallery Charitable Foundation to support talented children and help develop their creative potential.
The next Cultural Code gatherings will take place this fall.
