A contemporary art fair held in the Ukrainian capital with an unusual premise: that art can help a society come to terms with what war has made normal.

"Holding the event during wartime means not waiting for a better moment but working with reality as it is," said Anna Avetova, director of the Art Kyiv fair. "In this context, art does not stand apart from life.  It helps make sense of the present, preserve cultural continuity, and lay the groundwork for the future."

Titled This is Normal, the fair has become a space where Ukrainians try to make sense through painting, sculpture, and conversation of a reality in which missile strikes, death, and loss have quietly become part of ordinary life.