Ukrainian underground

"Underground," in this context, refers to creativity that is directed towards self-expression of the individual or artistic groups, in contrast to the philosophical, ethical, and aesthetic codes of the mainstream.

The underground movement garnered significant publicity after a 1967 exhibition by two young artists under the title "Sychik+Khruschik" (Stanislav Sychov and Valentin Khrushch).

Subsequently, a powerful group formed consisting of artists and nonconformists who openly opposed Socialist Realism: Alexander Anufriev, Vladimir Strelnikov, Victor Marynyuk, Valery Basanets and his wife Tatiana, Ludmila Yastreb, Andrei Antoniuk, Lucien Dulfan, Oleg Voloshin, Eugene Rakhmanin, Vladimir Tsiupko, Igor Bozhko, Alexander Stovbur, Yuri Egorov, Michael Kowalski, Sergei Knyazev, Vladimir Naumets, Nikolay Stepanov, Alexander Dmitriev, Nadia Haiduk, Vitaly Sazonov, Viktor Rysovych, Eugene Hodenko, and others.

Some of these individuals studied under famous avant-garde artists who worked in Kharkiv, such as Alexey Shcheglov, Vasyl Yermylov, Borys Kosarev.

In the late 1950s, in Uzhhorod, a circle formed of abstract artists which included Paul Bedzir, Elizabeth Kremnytska, Ferenc (Echi) Seman, and others.

In the 1970-1980s, the Lviv circle of informal artists was supplemented by such names as Alexander Aksinin, Nadezhda Ponomarenko, Galina Zhyhulska, Valery Demyanyshyn, Yevhen Zakharov, Michael Green, Vladimir Pinihin, and others.

In 1977, they organized an exhibition that included such artists as Yuri Kosin, Nik Niedzelski, Mikola Tregub, Vudon Baklitsky, Nicholas Zalevsky, Alexander Kostetsky, Olena Golub, Vladimir Boguslavsky, Mikhael Zhukov, and others.

In the late 1970s a certain degree of liberalization in the social system occurred, which led to partial acceptance of the unofficial art.