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The Ethnology Notebooks. 2026. № 5 (191), 1582—1590

UDK 7.01:7.05:39(477+4-11)

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/

  • Received: 08.08.2026
  • Accepted: 17.09.2026
  • Published: ??.??.2026

ETHNOCULTURAL TRADITIONS IN CONTEMPORARY ART AND DESIGN OF UKRAINE AND THE BALTIC COUNTRIES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

DIACHENKO Alla

  • ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4496-5931
  • Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor,
  • Associate Professor of the Department
  • of Industrial Design and Computer Technologies,
  • Dean of the Faculty of Decorative and Applied Arts,
  • Mykhailo Boichuk Kyiv State Academy
  • of Decorative-Applied Arts and Design,
  • Member of the Union of Designers of Ukraine;
  • member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine,
  • 32, вул. М. Бойчука, 01103, м. Київ, Україна,
  • Contacts: e-mail: pani.alla0107@gmail.com

Abstract. The article provides a comparative analysis of the features of the functioning of ethnocultural traditions in contemporary art and design of Ukraine and the Baltic countries (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia). The relevance of the study is due to the increasing role of cultural heritage in the processes of forming national identity, developing creative industries and presenting cultural values ​​in the global space. The aim of the article is to determine the specifics of the transformation of ethnocultural traditions in contemporary art and design practices of Ukraine and the Baltic states, as well as to identify common and distinctive models of their actualization. The methodological basisof the study is the culturological, art historical, comparative and design historical approaches. The theoretical basis is formed on the basis of the concepts of cultural memory of J. Assmann, the theory of the image of A. Warburg, the sociology of the cultural field of P. Bourdieu, the anthropology of art of A. Gell and the historical and cultural analysis of artistic forms of M. Baxandall. The scientific noveltyof the study lies in the implementation of a comprehensive comparative analysis of the features of the integration of ethnocultural traditions into contemporary art and design in Ukraine and the Baltic countries. The paper identifies the specifics of two models of cultural transformation: Ukrainian, focused on the symbolic understanding of tradition as the basis of national identity, and Baltic, characterized by systemic institutional support of cultural heritage, its integration into creative industries and digital practices.

For the first time, the author’s conceptual model of the transformation of ethnocultural heritage in contemporary art and design practices is proposed, which demonstrates the relationship between traditional artistic systems, processes of creative rethinking and the use of modern technologies.

The role of ethnocultural codes in the formation of contemporary design as a means of cultural communication is clarified. It has been proven that ornamental systems, craft technologies, traditional materials, and artistic images function not only as elements of decorative form, but also as carriers of collective memory and mechanisms for creating cultural identity.

Keywords: ethnoculture, ethnodesign, cultural heritage, tradition, contemporary art, design, cultural identity, Ukraine, Baltic countries, digital technologies.

REFERENCES

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