When the russian army advanced into and occupied parts of Ukrainein 2022, it destroyed not only critical infrastructure and peopleʼs homes,but also our intangible cultural assets and heritage — with the openlydeclared aim of destroying Ukrainian identity. By the end of July 2026,more than 1,990 cultural heritage sites had been damaged or destroyed.Among them was the Ivankiv District Historical and Local Lore Museumin the Kyiv region, which housed a collection of works by MariaPrymachenko (fortunately, saved by locals).

As nearly five years of full-scale war have shown that the harsherrussiaʼs attempts to destroy everything Ukrainian become, the moreresilient, vital and viral it becomes; the more intensely it spreads & grows. Art doesnʼt cease to exist after physical destruction — because, just as a map is not the territory, a museum is not its walls. Prymachenkoʼs unimaginable animals left the ruins of the destroyed local museum to enter a bigger world to fit into the aesthetics of modern cities in the form of murals, street art and fashionable clothing.

So, there is an obvious allegory at the heart of the project: the Ukrainian spirit and character are like Prymachenkoʼs beasts — whimsical and incredible, and just as kind and amusing as they are wild and irrepressible.

While the Russian army is unsuccessfully trying to “liberateˮ Ukraine from its identity and independence by destroying churches, monuments and museums, the “liberated ˮ Ukrainian beasts expand their habitat wildly and worldwidely.

Because this is exactly what happens when you unleash the beast.