“Jerusalem – Kyiv. From A to Z” at Shevchenko University — how art strengthens the connection between Ukraine and Israel

On April 16, 2026, the main building of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv became the venue for an important cultural event that resonates directly in the Israeli context. As part of the cultural and educational project “The Year of Agnon at KNU“, an art exhibition “Jerusalem — Kyiv. From A to Z” opened here — an initiative where art, memory, literature, and visual symbolism connected two cities and two historical lines in one exhibition space.

For the Israeli audience, this story is important not only as news from Ukraine. It shows that even during difficult historical upheavals, the cultural dialogue between Ukraine and Israel does not disappear but, on the contrary, takes on new forms. It is through such projects that common codes, shared memory, and the human bridge, which often proves stronger than official statements and diplomatic formulas, become visible.

Exhibition as a conversation between two capitals

Jerusalem and Kyiv as visual worlds

The exhibition “Jerusalem — Kyiv. From A to Z” offers a view of the two cities not as a set of well-known postcards and tourist images, but as living cultural organisms. Through architecture, street lines, temple silhouettes, iconic places, and artistic associations, the project reveals not only the external appearance of Jerusalem and Kyiv but also their internal, almost philosophical depth.

This is especially noticeable in the very idea of the exhibition. The authors do not limit themselves to a simple comparison of the two capitals. They create a visual dialogue in which each image acts as a carrier of historical memory, urban identity, and spiritual atmosphere. For Israel, such a perspective is particularly close because Jerusalem itself has long been perceived not just as a city, but as a multi-layered symbol of civilization, faith, text, and destiny.

Who implemented the project

The project was prepared through the joint efforts of the Embassy of Israel in Ukraine, the representation of “Nativ” — the Israeli Cultural Center in Kyiv, the Honorary Consul of the State of Israel in the Western region of Ukraine Oleg Vishnyakov, the Center for Judaic Studies, and the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

Such a composition of participants explains a lot by itself. It is not about a local university exhibition in the narrow sense, but about a cultural initiative where the academic environment, Israeli cultural presence in Ukraine, and a broader interest in shared historical heritage converge. For the Israeli reader, this is an important signal: the connection between the countries continues to be maintained not only at the political level but also through education, culture, and humanitarian projects.

How the exhibition shows Jerusalem and Kyiv

Israeli part: the philosophy of lines and images

The Israeli part of the exhibition is represented by unique engravings by Israeli artist Lev Filipov-Shpolsky, provided by the Center for Judaic Studies. His works create a special artistic language in which the image is perceived almost as text, and lines become carriers of meaning.

In these engravings, people appear not just as characters, but as signs, symbols, states. Through them, emotions, inner tensions, and the very essence of urban life in Jerusalem are revealed. This approach makes each work not an illustration, but an independent reflection on the city, its spiritual nature, and its human dimension.

This layer is complemented by the works of digital artists from the City cat art foundation. Using modern digital tools, they showcase iconic locations in Jerusalem, adding a new technological perspective to the classic graphic language. This is an important combination for today’s cultural space in Israel: respect for the depth of tradition and at the same time a readiness to speak about it in a modern visual language.

Ukrainian part: Kyiv through the alphabet and image

The Ukrainian part of the exhibition was created by artist Vanda Orlova, known as VANDA. Within the project, she acts as an illustrator, creating a series of graphic works where each letter of the Ukrainian alphabet corresponds to a separate iconic location in Kyiv.

This decision has both aesthetics and concept. Kyiv appears not just as a capital, but as a city that can be read as a cultural text. Each letter becomes an entry point into its historical and emotional map. This technique makes the exhibition especially interesting for the Israeli viewer, accustomed to perceiving a letter, word, and text as something more than just a means of recording.

The project is given special expressiveness by the use of the Ukrainian Izhitsa Regular font.

Based on the traditions of the semi-uncial of Old Slavic manuscripts, it here becomes a full-fledged artistic element. The font works not as a background detail, but as part of the overall image, where historical memory is combined with modern graphic presentation.

It is in such projects that it becomes especially clear why the theme of cultural interaction between Ukraine and Israel goes beyond formal partnerships. NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency in the context of such events draws attention not only to the fact of the exhibition itself but also to how through art a conversation about memory, heritage, and mutual recognizable symbolic language of the two societies is being rebuilt.

Why this exhibition is important beyond the exhibition itself

Shmuel Yosef Agnon as a point of intersection between Ukraine and Israel

The organizers separately emphasized the significance of the figure of Shmuel Yosef Agnon — the only Nobel Prize laureate in literature born on the territory of Ukraine and writing in Hebrew.

This alone makes the exhibition not just an artistic event, but part of a broader cultural framework in which Ukraine and Israel are connected through biographies, texts, and intellectual history.

In a statement, project curator Natalia Sidorenko on behalf of the “Nativ” representation noted that it is books and culture that shape generations, and the university environment remains one of the best spaces for understanding such heritage. For the Israeli audience, this is especially significant because Agnon’s name remains not only a literary symbol but also part of the general conversation about Jewish memory, language, and historical origin.

Special thanks were expressed to the rector of KNU, Professor Volodymyr Bugrov, whose support helped turn the university not only into an educational center but also into an open platform for cultural diplomacy. This format is especially valuable today when humanitarian gestures and cultural projects often prove more important than official rhetoric.

Art as a bridge between history and modernity

For Vanda Orlova, participation in the project became an opportunity to once again emphasize the role of creativity as a universal language of communication. In essence, this is the central idea of the entire exhibition. Where the political language often proves too rigid, and the diplomatic too formal, art allows for more precise and deeper communication.

The project “Jerusalem — Kyiv. From A to Z” in this sense truly works as a bridge. It connects history and the present day, architecture and inner memory, city and text, Israel and Ukraine.

Moreover, it does so without intrusive declarativity — through image, line, composition, and association.

The exhibition continues to operate within the university walls, inviting students, teachers, and city guests to this visual exploration of shared cultural heritage. For Israel, this is yet another reminder that the Ukrainian-Israeli connection lives not only in news headlines, diplomatic meetings, or historical research but also in the artistic space where Jerusalem and Kyiv can be seen as cities speaking to each other in the language of culture.