Athletes of Art & OCCHI DELL’UMANITA: The Art Side of the Olympics
Milano Cortina 2026 is a global attraction point today, with lots of sports competitions and extensive cultural programming taking place every day. Art exhibitions, cinema presentations, public discussion groups, and educational initiatives occur side by side with monumental sports struggles that go beyond human imagination. Notable art events include the exhibition “Athletes of Art” and the presentation of a documentary titled OCCHI DELL’UMANITA, co-curated by Iryna Fedorenko, widely known in the art circles as SEMIRA.
Philosophy Behind “Athletes of Art”
The group exhibition “Athletes of Art” features the portraits of champions and bridges two different languages – the language of sports and the language of art – to show their universal, transformational power. SEMIRA’s selected works are also included in the show, with a couple of well-known Olympic champions’ portraits and symbolic “Перемога” (“Peremoha”) and “Vittoria” inscriptions. The presented art pieces invite viewers to contemplate the meaning of victory and to see it as a strength of endurance and a privilege of keeping one’s creative voice.
The exhibition was organized in the form of a “living route,” with art distributed across multiple locations in Milan and Lombardy. It is meant to show the peaceful nature of sports rivalry and expose the ugly nature of military opposition.
OCCHI DELL’UMANITA, a Documentary of Ukrainian Resilience
The premiere of the documentary OCCHI DELL’UMANITA happened in early February in Milan, garnering a highly positive critical response from the audience. Created under the support of Liceo Artistico di Brera, the V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, and other Ukrainian educational institutions, the film speaks the language of youth as a powerful force in the modern political landscape.
Fondazione Terre des Hommes Italia ensured housing for participating Ukrainian students in Italian families. The documentary was produced by Stefania Donno, supported by VITAWORLD and its President Natalia Siassina in terms of organizational coordination. The Ukrainian band “Druga Rika,” whose emotional music was used as a soundtrack for the documentary, also contributed to the project. “Druga Rika” is widely recognized as the “voice of a generation,” amplifying the narrative’s impact.
About Iryna Fedorenko
Iryna Fedorenko is a Ukrainian-born artist from Mariupol who was urged to leave her homeland at the start of the Russian invasion. Her recent art projects reflect the personal and national drama of wartime, with the best-known “Children of War” series and her support of the international art festival TRACE, which promotes Ukrainian talent in the international art scene.