HØLØDØMØR. Yuliya Fedorovych’s art project at the Holodomor Museum

History always depends on the speaker; the same objectively accomplished facts of the past can be put into different narratives, sometimes with completely opposite morals. That is why, when studying history, it is worth paying attention to the figure of its author every time.

The history of the Holodomor is also not a linear story. For every Ukrainian family, this story is personal: it is the ancestors’ memory, events and circumstances that happened to them. They can be completely different from each other, they can be similar, but in the end they are all united in a continuous narrative of the history of the genocide of the Ukrainian people in 1932-1933.

Yuliya Fedorovych’s project demonstrates the parity of the great and personal history of the Holodomor. The artist outlines the course of events of this tragedy in the first part – a series of posters called “HØLØDØMØR” and tells the personal story of an eyewitness to the Holodomor in the animated film “My name is Yevhenia Sakevych-Dallas”.

In a series of posters, Fedorovych tells the story of the Holodomor in her own way – she defines the key prerequisites, facts and consequences of the tragedy of the 1930s, putting them together in a new visual language. The latter reflects the synthesis that Ukrainian culture underwent in the 20th century – traditional elements of folk embroidery, allusions to which appear on posters, are woven into the general style of constructivism of the 1920s and 1930s. Each of the posters is also available in augmented reality, in which every fact of the past appears live.

Yuliya Fedorovych’s street exhibition of posters “HØLØDØMØR” was exhibited from August 15 to September 15 at Glory Square.

The animated film “My name is Yevhenia Sakevych-Dallas” is dedicated to the story of a public figure, artist, Ukrainian-language writer and a model who suffered all the most traumatic episodes of the 20th century – the Holodomor, deportation, war, captivity, and ultimately, emigration. However, this is rather a story about luck, indomitability and strength of spirit, which Yevhenia has preserved despite what she has experienced.

The film “My name is Yevhenia Sakevych-Dallas” is shown in the Hall of Memory during the opening hours of the Holodomor Museum.

About the author:

Yuliya Fedorovych is a visual communication designer and an artist. In 2021, she received her Master of Arts degree (MFA) from the University of Notre Dame in the USA. A scholar of the Fulbright and Edmund S. Muskie programs. Her work focus is on the visualization of the complex history and heritage of Ukraine and Eastern Europe. Award-winning works are exhibited in galleries in the USA, Canada and Ukraine.

The project was implemented jointly with the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity.