Andrii Yermolenko is an artist, illustrator, designer, serviceman, and laureate of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine (2024).
The artist participated in the II All-Ukrainian Forum “National Resistance 2026,” held at the War Museum. During the event, Andrii Yermolenko presented the organizers with a replica of his mini-mural “My Thoughts”, originally created in the village of Stepnohirsk, Zaporizhzhia Region. The mural depicts Taras Shevchenko in the uniform of a modern Ukrainian warrior, reading the “Kobzar” to a child.
Only three such replicas exist. Mr. Yermolenko donated the first to his alma mater, the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. According to the artist, the idea for the second one arose when he was invited to the “National Resistance 2026” forum to moderate the panel discussion “Culture and History as the Basis for Building Resistance.” In the artist’s view, Taras Shevchenko was the ultimate figure of resistance: “When the Cossacks were destroyed, poets took up the mission of resistance.”
The third and final replica, featuring a signed dedication, was created by Andrii Yermolenko specifically for the War Museum: “I remember the opening of the Museum beneath the Motherland monument, and now I see how the Museum is transforming and how a creative spirit lives within it. Therefore, I proposed donating my stencil and a replica of the mural to the collection.”
Symbolically, the gifts were accepted on behalf of the Museum by our colleague, Merited Artist of Ukraine Anton Lohov.
We extend our sincere gratitude to Andrii Yermolenko for enriching the Museum’s collection with this iconic work.
