Cultural Genocide: Ukraine’s Struggle to Preserve History and Identity
On June 15, 2024, the Kosciuszko Foundation and the National Library of Poland hosted the grand opening of the exhibition of Ukrainian contemporary art and charity gala Cultural Genocide: Ukraine’s Struggle to Preserve History and Identity. The event, held under the honorary patronage of the Embassy of Ukraine in Poland and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland, was held at the National Library in reflection of our continuing dedication to supporting Ukrainian cultural institutions and advocating for Ukrainian art.
The exhibition features 34 works by the artists Serhiy Savchenko, Vasyl Savchenko, Vlodko Kaufman, Roman Romanyshyn, Veronika Cherednichenko and Eduard Belsky, provided by the Savchenko Gallery, and six poems by Dmytro Lazutkin, Lyuba Yakimchuk, Grigory Semenchuk, Kateryna Kalytko, Borys Humenyuk and Yuliya Musakovska. Dmytro Lazutkin is currently serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Borys Humenyuk went missing in 2022 during the Battle of Bakhmut.
The guests were welcomed by Dr Tomasz Makowski, Director General of the National Library, and Marek Skulimowski, President of the Kosciuszko Foundation. Both speakers underlined the importance of continuing our support of Ukraine in the area of protecting cultural heritage, libraries and archives. The Third Secretary of the Embassy of Ukraine in Poland, Vasyl Melnychuk, conveyed a message of support and appreciation from His Excellency Vasyl Zvarych, Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Poland.
The event opened with a harrowing extract from the film Erase the Nation by Tomasz Grzywaczewski, documenting Russian crimes against Ukraine's cultural heritage. Tomasz Grzywaczewski also joined us in person. The curator of the exhibition, Serhiy Savchenko, then shared his perspective as a painter and gallerist on how war is influencing the contemporary art scene in Ukraine.
The speeches were followed by a panel discussion featuring Lyuba Yakymchuk (writer, screenwriter and cultural manager from Pervomaisk, Luhansk Region), Grigory Semenchuk (poet, musician and cultural manager from Khmelnytsky), Kateryna Alekseenko (Deputy Director of Lviv Public Libraries, Zaporizhzhia) and Iryna Biryukova (Director of the Odesa National Scientific Library). The discussion was moderated by Mariya Hud and touched on subjects including art in times of war, artists on the frontline and killed in battle, how living under occupation is worse than dying, and how people turn to books for serenity during times of loss and despair.
The official part of the event was followed by a cocktail reception and live music by the Polish musicians Joanna Kondrat, Marcin Olak and Marcin Lamch.
The exhibition remains open to the public until July 5 at the National Library of Poland in Warsaw, located in the main hall of the library and the reading rooms.
