Ukrainian artists open the door to the horrors of war in Edmonton art exhibition
CBC
The Alberta Council for the Ukrainian Arts opened its doors on Saturday to showcase a feature exhibition, which uses physical doors from in and around Ukraine to depict the toll of war since Russia invaded the country in February.
The Doors installation by Ruslan Kurt is intended to draw a parallel with life as a door and make viewers reflect on what it means to face life with the looming threat of death.
"You open doors to welcome people into your protection, and to see the ruins of these doors pulled on my heartstrings," Olesia Luciw-Andryjowycz, who sits on the board of directors for the council, said in an interview on Saturday before the exhibition.
"We thought this is a story we need to tell our public here in Alberta, in Edmonton."
In the beginning of November, the council started showing the artwork of Ukrainian artists who recently arrived in Canada.
Kurt is a Ukrainian-born artist who is based in Toronto and said he was inspired to create his installation to tell the stories of millions of Ukrainian men, women and children who were forced to leave their homes.
A collection of 13 doors from locations in Ukraine like hospitals, cafés, schools and homes were brought over to Canada to show the impacts of war.
The installation also pays tribute to those who did not make it past the door of their homes and died during the war.
"When the war started, millions of families in Ukraine opened the doors of their homes and closed them ... leaving their normal lives behind," Kurt said as he spoke about how no Ukrainian was immune to the violence laid bare on their doorstep.
When the war began, Kurt was working abroad but his wife was still living in their hometown of Melitopol, located 684 kilometres south of the capital city of Kyiv.
"When she called me at 5 a.m. to say, 'A war has started,' it was very stressful moment," Kurt said.
It took two months for his wife to safely cross a border before the pair were reunited in a different country in Europe and came to Canada.
"When you see actual artifacts from the war, you can come, can touch, you can feel, because some of the doors which we brought are totally burned," Kurt said.
"So even the smell, you can feel the smell of the war, so it's involving you to feel the same ... what millions of Ukrainians are facing daily."
Snow and freezing rain could affect morning commutes on Tuesday, according to a special weather statement issued by Environment Canada.
Daniel Jolivet, 68, had his first taste of freedom this weekend after spending the last 33 years behind bars.
Peguis First Nation is suing former chief Glenn Hudson over allegations he failed to act in the best interest of the band and financially benefitted from breaches of duty — including claims that he enriched himself, his family and supporters.
The Saskatchewan NDP's pace in 2025 has been frenetic.
If you’re ever walking down this east Hamilton neighbourhood during the holiday season, there’s a festive house that just might grab your attention.
It was just a few months ago that U.S. President Donald Trump told the world he doesn’t want Canadian cars.
Flu cases across Canada are on the rise and may push hospitals to their limits over the holidays and into the new year, leading health officials in regions across the country to warn people not to visit emergency rooms unless it's absolutely necessary.
More than 30 years after Canada's military allowed women to serve in combat roles, it's now specifically designing uniforms and body armour to fit their bodies.
The holiday season has arrived in Thunder Bay, and that means reduced hours, or closures, for businesses, city offices, and other amenities.
As Toronto’s food scene continues to grow, some in the industry say the pool of professional chefs hasn’t kept up with demand.
Police have charged a truck driver from the Hamilton area in a hit-and-run crash that killed a tow truck operator who had been stopped while helping a driver on the side of Highway 401 outside Woodstock, Ont.
Power has been restored to most of Haines Junction after a problem earlier on Monday at the local generating station.
A 56-year-old man will return to court on Tuesday for a charge of second-degree murder, laid in a case London police have called an act of femicide.