Crimes against culture: churches and theaters mutilated by Russians in the Mykolaiv region were shown at a photo exhibition in the capital

On Saturday, May 4, a photo exhibition about Ukrainian cultural heritage destroyed by Russia «Through the Lens: Culture in the Whirlwind of War» opened in Kyiv.

Among the presented works are stories about the destroyed cultural monuments of the Mykolaiv Region, writes the correspondent of NikVesti.

In total, the exhibition included the works of 65 Ukrainian media workers who took more than 6,500 photos. Only 650 of them are presented and show the consequences of the destruction of churches, theaters, libraries and other cultural monuments of Ukraine.

«Through their lenses, we witness destruction: mutilated facades of churches, broken windows of cultural centers, collapsed ceilings of theaters, libraries covered with ashes. However, in addition to the destruction, the photos also record the stability of the Ukrainian spirit: the work of artists who create even in the hell of war, the performances of performers, the selfless work of cultural figures and volunteers,» the organizers of the event noted.

One of them is a photo of the «Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Virgin» ( Kyselivka village, Mykolaiv region) by the editor-in-chief and journalist of NikVesti Kateryna Sereda and «Mykolaiv Artistic Academic Drama Theater» by photographer NikVesti Serhii Ovcharyshyn, House of Culture «Korabelnyi» Mykolaiv photo Svetlana Koval.

According to the curator of the exhibition, Stas Kozliuk, the series of photos that impressed him the most is dedicated to the tragic death of the Ukrainian writer Volodymyr Vakulenko. He was killed by Russians during the occupation of Izium region. The author of these pictures is the Ukrainian photographer Mykhailo Palinchak, who depicted the garden where Volodymyr Vakulenko hid his diary. As is known, the diary itself was found by the writer Victoria Amelina, who died in a cafe in Kramatorsk as a result of a rocket attack.

The exhibition will last until May 19 at the Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko National Art Museum.

The project is implemented by the Institute of Mass Information with the financial support of the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund and the people of Japan.

Photo report

We will remind that in Mykolaiv, in the renewed shelter near the House of Fleet Officers, volunteers organized the exhibition «2 years: the price of freedom» for the anniversary of the full-scale war.

Earlier it was reported that the «Collision Line» exhibition by the photographer couple Vlada and Kostiantyn Liberovy opened in Kyiv. The exhibition consists of 150 documentary photographs.