On May 9th at 3:00 PM, the “Memory. Dialogues” exhibition will open at the main building of the Museum of the War. The project is organized in collaboration with the Berlin-Karlshorst Museum and supported by the German Embassy in Ukraine. The event marks Europe Day.
The exhibition tells the family stories of three artists: Polina Kuznetsova (Ukraine), Efa Neidlinger (Germany), and Jenny Alten (Germany). Their ancestors’ lives intersected in Nazi-occupied Ukraine. For example, Efa Neidlinger’s great-grandfather, a Wehrmacht soldier, was stationed in Kharkiv, where Polina Kuznetsova’s grandmother experienced the harsh realities of the war as a child.
The exhibition explores themes of family and national memory, overcoming the trauma of the past, and reconciliation. It invites dialogue between generations and cultures and emphasizes the importance of preserving memory.
The highlight of the exhibition is the art installation “Voices” from Polina Kuznetsova’s “Black Earth” project, created with artist Andrii Skrypka. The installation features the earth as a symbol of memory, a material that holds the past even when people forget.
During the opening ceremony, speakers will include:
- Yurii Savchuk – General Director of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War II
- Liza Hayke – First Secretary and Head of the Cultural Department of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ukraine
- Project curators: Yurii Horpynych, Marina Bohush
- Project participants: Polina Kuznetsova (Ukraine), Efa Neidlinger (Germany), and Jenny Alten (Germany).
Pre-registration is required for participation via the link.
For media inquiries and accreditation, please contact: +38063 872 47 49 – Liudmyla, Communications Officer of the Museum.