A Brussels open-air exhibition until mid-June highlights women’s diverse roles in Ukraine and the Caucasus, amid discrimination and backlash.

Against the historic backdrop of Brussels’ Mont des Arts, a new open-air exhibition in Brussels, running until mid-June, is challenging the traditional gaze on eastern European and Caucasian female identity – where the path to gender equality is lined with mines of violence and discrimination.. ‘The Many Faces of Womanhood’, organised by the UN and the EU, captures the multifaceted lives of women across Armenia, Moldova, Georgia, and Ukraine as they single-handedly raise families, make

art, earn a living, and join the front lines to fight for their countries.. From wrestling world champion Irina Rîngaci to Ukrainian sniper and journalist Olena Bilozerska, the 36 works on display do not shy away from the complexity of the modern female experience – bringing together subjects that overcame strict gender traditions.. As deputy regional director of UN Women Elisa Fernandez Saenz told EUobserver, it’s a spotlight on “Women in their diverse roles, women

in their complexities.” The timing of the exhibition is no coincidence.. Fernandez describes the project as a necessary intervention during a period of global “gender backlash” marked by a conservative shift in some regions where gender equality is increasingly seen as “a threat.” During the opening of the exhibition on Friday (8 May), Laurence Gillois, who works for the UN Women office in Brussels, celebrated the stories behind the images as an emblem of progress..

“Deeply-rooted stereotypes continue to influence progress and outcomes, both in economic participation, in leadership, and in freedom from violence,” Gillois said.. The images will remain on show until 14 June, when they will be moved around between the countries of their subjects.. Olga Ivaschenko, the artist behind the lens of all 36 photographs, has been capturing the Ukrainian front lines as a photojournalist and found a connection with a lot of her subjects through shared

resistance in times of conflict.

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