“Parallels” collage exhibition opened at Holodomor Museum

To suppress Ukrainian resistance and destroy them as a nation, Stalin organized the Holodomor. To destroy Ukraine as a nation-state, Putin started a bloody war. The scale of both tragedies is terrifying, and the parallels between them suggest themselves. This is what the exhibition that was presented today at the Holodomor Museum tells about.

“Parallels” is a joint project of our museum institution with the workshop Cutout Collage Festival & Studio, which presents digital and analogue collages of residents of the CUTOUT workshop, members of the CUTOUTLOVERS community, and winners of the Open Call. “Parallels” is an artistic interpretation of the history of the Holodomor in the context of modern warfare.

“We continue to look for new languages, forms and formats of presenting the story of the Holodomor – both literally and metaphorically. And this project is just one of those forms of expression of our tragic past with the help of art, in which everyone will be able to find their own meaning,” said Maryna Bohush, curator of the project from the Holodomor Museum.

Annette Sahal, one of the curators of the exhibition from CUTOUT COLLAGE FESTIVAL, spoke in more detail about the purpose of the exhibition, and the preparation of works for it. “The museum provided us with photos and video materials, based on which we created our works,” said Annette Sahal. — The basis of our project is collage animation, as well as analogue works. It so happened that exclusively women worked on this project. And we are proud of them. Because the work was not easy, the topic is deep, complex and at the same time crucial. However, this is our mission as artists – through art to convey the crimes of the past and present to the whole world.”

“Today I was going down the dark stairs to the Museum and I was overwhelmed with emotions from the realization that they are constantly trying to destroy you. But here, in the hall, I saw the light. And clearly realized our mission — to carry this light to the world, to tell about what has already been done with us and is trying to do now. And now we are looking for contacts abroad to show this exhibition there,” added Katia Syta, curator of the CUTOUT COLLAGE FESTIVAL project.

Artists Valeriya Miroshnikova, Vika Ostrenko, Natalia Okhman, Ziu Poberezhniuk, Annette Sahal, Katia Syta, Hanna Rusiava, Maria Shapranova, Eva Holts, Anhelina Datsiuk, Anna Kuznietsova, Oleksandra Kulikovska, Katia Lisova, Maryna Siliakova, Mila Cheprasova Yaroslava Shkolna, Lia Adam, Valeria Boyko, Yaroslava Guz, Maria Humetska, Hanna Denysenko, Elizaveta Litvinenko, Iryna Tatarenko, Olena Ushakova took part in the project.

Their analogue and animated collages can be seen in our museum.

The exhibition will last until December 31.

The museum’s opening hours are available here.