The Meaning of Добре

Our ongoing exploration showing how language and culture shape contemporary practice, celebrating the small details that reveal meaning and intention in creative work.

A small word carries many meanings. Добре (pronounced dobre) can indicate agreement: “добре” (dobre) / “ok”, mark a favourable turn: “добре, що всі живі” (dobre shcho vsi zhyvi) / “good that everyone is alive”, express well-being: “добре почуваюся” (dobre pochuvaiusia) / “I feel good”, indicate correctness: “добре, що сказав” (dobre shcho skazav) / “good you told me”, carry kindness and moral goodness: “добрий день” (dobryi den) / “good day”, “добро” (dobro) / “goodness”, “доброта” (dobrota) / “kindness”.

In everyday practice this word combines all the meanings into a concept. Artists, cultural practitioners, and anyone engaging with creative work are often guided by their interpretation of good, attending to what feels right, what resonates, what carries clear meaning and what is approached with care and positivity.

At Dobre we adopt these principles in documenting contemporary Ukrainian arts and culture. Through writing, visual stories, and research, we explore how creativity is lived and experienced - in studios, workshops, exhibitions, and everyday practice. Добре is both method and philosophy: a way of seeing, a way of making, a way of inhabiting culture thoughtfully.