OUR SPEAKERS. VICTOR KUSHNIRENKO: Art and culture are victims of war
Russian aggression has led to massive looting, destruction and forced relocation of art collections abroad. In addition, the war has destroyed and damaged the infrastructure necessary for the presentation and storage of works of art. And this is only a part of the problems that have emerged in the museum and archival sphere due to the full-scale invasion.
These topics will be discussed during the Art of Victory Forum as part of the Cultural Front project implemented by the Pidhirtsi Castle Charitable Foundation with the support of the US Embassy in Ukraine. Viktor Kushnirenko, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation, emphasizes that people, not just cultural monuments, suffered first and foremost.
“The war has led to a fundamental depletion of human resources related to art, as many museum workers, curators, conservators and artists have been killed, physically or mentally injured, or emigrated abroad. And museum workers, artists and gallerists who are professionally engaged in the creation, presentation and preservation of works of art have lost their livelihoods,” said Viktor Kushnirenko.
In his opinion, preserving the historical and cultural heritage is an important part of Ukraine’s reconstruction plan. As part of this restoration, resources should be verified for further conservation, restoration and digitization of the preserved collections, including libraries and archives. That is why events dedicated to culture and art and the preservation of historical and cultural heritage in times of war are so important.
“To implement these tasks, we need to mobilize the maximum number of competent people and institutions committed to convergent goals on a global scale. This is what the first Art of Victory forum is dedicated to. I am confident that this event will crystallize many initiatives that will contribute to the achievement of our goals of preserving the historical and cultural heritage of Ukraine,” concludes Viktor Kushnirenko.
The Art of Victory Forum will be held on December 8-9 in Lviv. To learn more about the Forum and register for the event, please visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1672447053263491.
Допис створений в рамках проекту за підтримки Відділу преси, освіти та культури Посольства США в Україні. Погляди авторів не обов’язково збігаються з офіційною позицією уряду США. / Supported by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy to Ukraine. The views of the authors do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Government.
