April 22, 2022

Spot the Difference


Spot the Difference
Mightier than the sword? Pexels, Daian Gan

Ukrainian-Israeli artist Zoya Cherkassky-Nnadi spent her childhood in Kyiv, Ukraine, until the age of 14. In 1991, she and her family moved to Israel. Shortly after making visits to Ukraine in 2014, Zoya began creating pieces of art within a project she calls her "Soviet Childhood."

Zoya most recently visited Ukraine four months before Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. After bombs began to fall and the war had officially begun, Zoya and her family made their way to Israel. Now out of Ukraine, Zoya is using her previous pieces of art from "Soviet Childhood" to convey what is happening  in Ukraine and provide humanitarian aid. 

Drawing from previous pieces, Zoya is now creating a new project titled "Before and After." Pieces within this project are replicas of her previous works in "Soviet Childhood," only now they reflect the current state of Ukraine. For example, her piece "On the Balcony" features a mother and son standing on a balcony observing the beautiful city. The 2022 "After" version of this piece features the same mother and son on the balcony cowering from falling bombs and a red sky. Essentially, a juxtaposition of happy childhood memories and horrid times of suffering for the country. 

Zoya is creating meaningful pieces of art that have touched the hearts of many across the globe and helped to bring awareness to the reality in Ukraine. She is also selling the works to provide monetary aid to Ukraine. The pieces of "Before and After" can be seen here.

You Might Also Like

Refugees Aboard the Volendam
  • April 16, 2022

Refugees Aboard the Volendam

A well-known cruise line has offered one of its ships to aid the humanitarian effort for Ukraine. 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955