For their first Slow Art Day, the National Museum of Decorative Arts of Ukraine hosted a deeply reflective session centered on memory, community and war via the series “Meals” by Ukrainian artist Olena Pryduvalova.
The featured works, “Beginning of the Buffet” and “Festive Dinner” (2019, acrylic on canvas), explore the emotional significance of gathering around food and shared meals. Pryduvalova originally created the Meals series while reading the book “Yes, but…” by Ukrainian writer Taras Prokhasko. Rather than illustrating the text directly, the artist used the reading experience as a catalyst for reflection, allowing the works to emerge from months of personal memories and contemplation.
According to Pryduvalova, the series explores what unites people and what remains in memory over time: moments of gathering, conversation, and shared meals that mark both joyful and difficult experiences. The ten paintings in the series depict a range of occasions, including weddings, buffets, festive dinners, memorial meals, and quiet conversations between two people.
The diptych shown for Slow Art Day captures two distinct moments within this theme. “Beginning of the Buffet” depicts a quiet scene before guests arrive, when the table is prepared and anticipation fills the air. In contrast, “Festive Dinner” celebrates the joy of coming together.
During the Slow Art Day session on April 5, museum visitors were invited to spend time carefully observing the works and then share their reflections. The discussion soon moved beyond the paintings themselves and into the personal experiences of participants.
Visitors spoke openly about how life in Ukraine has changed in recent years following the Russian invasion. The conversation turned to the meaning of family gatherings and how precious shared meals have become during the war. Participants reflected on how moments around a table—sometimes joyful, sometimes sorrowful—continue to bring people together and strengthen community.
Through these conversations, the artworks became a catalyst for dialogue about memory, resilience, and human connection.
We at Slow Art Day HQ are deeply grateful to the team at the National Museum of Decorative Arts of Ukraine for sharing this moving program and for demonstrating the power of art and slow looking even — and especially — during wartime.
We look forward to what they come up with for this year’s Slow Art Day, which is coming up on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
— Ashley, Johanna, Jessica Jane, and Phyl
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P.P.S. If you have not yet registered your museum of gallery for Slow Art Day 2026, please do.