An exhibition, artist talk and graphic journalism project by Gianluca Costantini
Developed from the graphic novel Volodymyr Zelensky – Au nom de l’Ukraine, written by Elettra Stamboulis and illustrated by Gianluca Costantini, published in France by Éditions Delcourt.
Drawing a country at war
How can an artist draw a war while it is still taking place?
How does the image of a political leader become the image of a country?
And what can drawing reveal in a world already saturated with photographs, videos, social media and political communication?
Drawing Ukraine: War, Power and Political Images is an exhibition and public programme developed from Gianluca Costantini’s work on Volodymyr Zelensky – Au nom de l’Ukraine.
The project explores the transformation of Volodymyr Zelensky’s public image — from television entertainer and presidential candidate to wartime president and one of the most recognizable political figures of the contemporary world.
But Zelensky is also the starting point for a broader question: how has Ukraine been visually represented outside Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion?
For European audiences, the war has been experienced through an extraordinary and continuous flow of images. Drawing interrupts this flow. It requires looking again, selecting, interpreting and taking responsibility for what is represented.
The project therefore approaches drawing not simply as illustration, but as a form of visual journalism and a tool for questioning the political images through which contemporary history is constructed.
Exhibition — Drawing Ukraine
The exhibition brings together drawings and pages created for Volodymyr Zelensky – Au nom de l’Ukraine, following the transformation of Zelensky and the political history surrounding him.
The works move between biography, reportage and visual documentation: from Zelensky’s career in television and entertainment to the presidential campaign, his election, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the transformation of the Ukrainian president into a global political symbol.
Presented outside the narrative sequence of the book, the drawings can also be read independently as a visual archive of a historical transformation.
The exhibition raises questions about political representation, war imagery, propaganda, communication and the role of drawing in documenting events that are still unfolding.
Particular attention can be given to the difference between the image of Ukraine perceived internationally and the much more complex perspectives that exist within Ukraine itself.
For this reason, whenever possible, the exhibition can be developed in dialogue with Ukrainian artists, journalists, writers or researchers.
The exhibition is adaptable to different spaces and can be presented in museums, cultural institutions, universities, festivals, libraries and spaces dedicated to journalism and human rights.
Artist Talk – Drawing War, Power and Political Images
In this artist talk, Gianluca Costantini discusses drawing as a means of documenting contemporary history.
Starting from his work on Ukraine and Volodymyr Zelensky, the conversation examines how political images are created, circulated and transformed during wartime.
What happens when a president communicates directly to millions of people through smartphones and social media?
How does clothing, setting, photography and repetition contribute to the construction of a political image?
And what happens when an artist takes those same images and redraws them?
The talk also draws on Costantini’s wider experience documenting conflicts, political repression, human rights violations and attacks on journalists through drawing.
Public Conversation — Zelensky: Person, President, Symbol
The project can become a public conversation between Gianluca Costantini and a Ukrainian journalist, artist, writer, historian or researcher.
Rather than presenting a European interpretation of Ukraine as authoritative, the format deliberately places an external perspective in dialogue with a Ukrainian one.
The discussion can explore the different ways Volodymyr Zelensky is perceived inside and outside Ukraine and how his image has changed during the war.
It can also address a wider question:
What does the world see when it looks at Ukraine — and what remains outside the frame?
This format is particularly suitable for festivals, universities, cultural institutions and public programmes accompanying the exhibition.
Workshop – Drawing as Graphic Journalism
A workshop exploring drawing as a tool for documenting political events, conflicts and human rights.
Participants work with photographs, news reports, testimonies and other documentary sources to examine the process through which information can be transformed into a drawn narrative.
The workshop addresses questions of source verification, selection, interpretation, visual responsibility and the ethical problems involved in representing violence and human suffering.
The aim is not simply to illustrate the news, but to understand how drawing can become a method of investigation.
The workshop can be adapted for art students, journalism students, illustrators, professionals and general audiences.
From the graphic novel
Volodymyr Zelensky – Au nom de l’Ukraine traces the extraordinary trajectory of Volodymyr Zelensky: actor, television producer, presidential candidate, president and eventually wartime leader.
Written by Elettra Stamboulis, illustrated by Gianluca Costantini and coloured by Chiara Raimondi, the book was published in France by Éditions Delcourt in the Encrages collection in November 2025.
The graphic novel combines political biography with visual documentation, following both Zelensky’s personal transformation and the events that radically changed Ukraine and Europe.
Read more about the book → Volodymyr Zelensky – Au nom de l’Ukraine
Selected Press & Media
The project and the graphic novel have been presented and discussed in French media and publications dedicated to comics, history and contemporary culture.
Radio France
Interview with author Elettra Stamboulis about Volodymyr Zelensky – Au nom de l’Ukraine, December 2025.
BDCAF’mag / BD Fugue
The book was discussed for its graphic-journalistic approach, combining political biography with visual reportage.
Histoire & Géo en BD
Presented as a work connecting documentary comics, contemporary history and geopolitics.
France Net Infos
Review and presentation of the graphic novel, January 2026.
About Gianluca Costantini
Gianluca Costantini is an Italian artist and graphic journalist whose work focuses on human rights, political repression, conflicts and freedom of expression.
For more than twenty years, he has used drawing as a tool for documenting contemporary events and giving visibility to people affected by imprisonment, censorship, war and political violence.
His drawings and projects have appeared in international media and have been developed in collaboration with organizations including Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists, ActionAid, SOS Méditerranée and UNESCO.
His work has been exhibited and presented internationally in museums, cultural institutions, universities and spaces including the UK Parliament, UC Berkeley, the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Berlin and institutions in Paris, Geneva, New York and Washington, D.C.
He teaches Comic Art at the Academy of Fine Arts of Bologna. Continue
International programme
Drawing Ukraine: War, Power and Political Images is available internationally in different formats:
Exhibition
Exhibition + Artist Talk
Exhibition + Public Conversation
Artist Talk
Public Conversation with a Ukrainian guest
Graphic Journalism Workshop
Formats can be adapted according to the institution, location and audience.
The project is available for museums, festivals, universities, cultural institutions, journalism organizations and human rights organizations.
Press Kit
The international press kit includes information about the graphic novel, selected drawings, biographies, press coverage and possible formats for exhibitions, talks and workshops.
Contact
For exhibitions, talks, interviews, workshops and international collaborations:
Gianluca Costantini
Artist & Graphic Journalist – www.channeldraw.org
CONTACT
Available for projects in France, Ukraine and internationally.
