European League of Institutes of the Arts

The ELIA, the globally connected European network of higher arts institutions, and art academies across many nations responded immediately to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with acts of solidarity and compassion, opening their doors to thousands of students, staff, and teachers who no longer felt safe in Ukraine. We were deeply concerned for the well-being of Ukrainian civilians, in particular artists, students, and academics in the arts and their families, as well as those in Russia peacefully protesting the war.

ELIA in collaboration with the Abakanowicz Arts and Culture Charitable Foundation (AACCF), is pleased to announce the UAx Platform to support war-affected art students in Ukraine. At the core of the scheme is the creation of an ELIA Sister School network, giving art institutions in Ukraine the opportunity to become ELIA member institutions and linking them with existing ELIA members across Europe. In 2023, ten higher arts institutions have been partnered—five from Ukraine, five from Germany, Estonia, Poland, the Netherlands, Sweden in the pilot year of the platform - expanding to thirty schools in the third year.

The UAx Platform is founded on the core principle of the UAx Abakanowicz Fellowship, a program that embodies the spirit and values of Magdalena Abakanowicz. This initiative aims to empower war-affected artists to carry out one of their most important responsibilities—creating work in the face of oppression. Magdalena Abakanowicz's own life story serves as a testament to the power of this mission. She, alongside numerous artists from her generation, experienced forced relocations, displacements, invasions, occupations, and endured political and pedagogical oppressions. Preserving the narratives of extraordinary individuals like Magdalena Abakanowicz ensures that the next generation of artists, including the Abakanowicz Fellows, are inspired and emboldened to carry on with their artistic endeavors, especially in times of struggle.