UA COMIX
The global comics industry has existed for decades. Depending on the country and the researcher, its origins can be traced back to either the 18th century or the era of rock paintings. Despite all the stereotypes, Ukrainian comic art, or mal’opys, is not so much younger. This is what our story is about.
Comics originate from various forms, including, at different times, engravings compiled into a series of sequential drawings, separate caricatures and cartoons, as well as social and everyday sketches created on various media. In Ukraine, however, the comics industry had to contend not only with its own challenges but also with prolonged occupation, censorship, and political persecution. Yet it was not isolated: we interacted, collaborated, created, and published works along with the rest of the world.
A hundred years ago, publishers were already working on translations of world-famous comic books, translating their local comics into other languages, and even exploring the educational role of comics! References to Ukrainian periodicals, publishing houses, authors, and graphic artists are popping up here and there around the globe. Their names are sometimes known throughout the world, yet completely unknown in Ukraine. However, their work connects our history to the world’s with a subtle, invisible thread.
Our goal is to shed light on this enduring, long-standing connection so as to deepen or restore forgotten ties, trace the continuity of tradition, and highlight the unique school of artists that still amazes the world today.
The exhibition is based on the publication Ukrainian Mal’opys: The (Un)told Story.
Book concept by Bohdan Kordoba
Written by Ruslana Koropetska
Illustrated by Vira Kordoba
Design, layout, and exhibition texts by Ruslana Koropetska and Vira Kordoba
UA Comix is a comic book publisher founded by Bohdan Kordoba in 2017. It is based in Lviv. The publisher’s mission is to scale up the Ukrainian comic book industry, promote Ukrainian comics in Ukraine and abroad, build a professional community, and provide a space for cartoonists to grow and bring their most groundbreaking ideas to life.
Ruslana Koropetska, editor-in-chief at UA Comix, author, and art curator. A graduate of the Ukrainian Academy of Printing, she is a researcher of the history and theory of Ukrainian comic art. She lives and works in Lviv.
Vira Kordoba, artist, illustrator, and head of design at UA Comix. A graduate of the Ukrainian Academy of Printing. She views her work as a means of expressing personal identity through the lens of minimalist narratives.