On March 6, 2026, the grand opening of the international art project "Academic Dialogue Chișinău – Odesa. Identity Dimensions in the Visual Art of Studious Youth" took place, as part of the academic mobility program for students and teachers of the Faculty of Art and Graphics of the Ushynsky University, which takes place from 03/05/2026 to 04/05/2026 at Ion Creangă State Pedagogical University of Chișinău, Chișinău, Moldova (Ion Creangă State Pedagogical University of Chișinău, Strada Ion Creangă 1, Chișinău, Moldova).

An exhibition of works by students of the Odesa Faculty of Art and Graphics and the Chișinău Faculty of Fine Arts and Design opened in the "Old Orhei" Cultural and Natural Reserve.

The exhibition "Academic Dialogue Chisinau - Odesa" brought together the works of student youth, offering the public a fresh look at contemporary visual art. The event was organized within the framework of sustainable academic cooperation between the educational institutions of Ion Krianghe State Pedagogical University and Ushynsky University.

The presentation of the exhibition was opened by the speeches of the Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design Ana Simak, the Head of the Department of Painting Lyudmila Moisei and the teaching staff Lyudmila Mokan-Vozyan from Chisinau and Olha Kotova and Lyudmila Bohaychuk from the Faculty of Fine Arts of Ushynsky University. The representatives of student youth from Odesa were Sofia Markitan and Anastasia Grudka. This initiative is part of the project "Cultural Dimensions and Identification of the Use of Fine Arts in Higher Art Education", which is supported within the framework of the Program for Improving the Quality of Scientific Research for 2025-2026.

“The exhibition, acting as a cross-border artistic bridge, is a cultural and academic dialogue between the universities of Chisinau and Odesa and demonstrates that visual language is the most powerful tool for cultural cohesion,” the organizers emphasized.

Within the framework of the program “Dimensions of Identity in the Visual Art of Student Youth”, the exhibition determined that the young generation of artists relies on the cultural memory of generations and defines their belonging to the roots of the family and national values ​​​​in an international context. Young artists in various types of art and techniques (painting, graphics, tapestry, batik, leather processing, etc.) showed their own identity through the prism of authentic national.

According to Ana Simak, “the exhibition became a portal into national spirituality, where traditional elements are reinterpreted with bright colors specific to each region, as well as the emotional state conveyed by the artist, giving each canvas or art object a special vibration.”

We sincerely thank Ana Simak and the teachers of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design for their hospitality, desire to share experiences and expand boundaries through art, education and communication!

We express our gratitude to the owners of the Cultural and Natural Reserve “Old Orhei”!

We congratulate the organizers and participants of the project!

We thank the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the opportunity to live, study and create!