Ghosts of Destroyed Ukrainian Libraries Showcased in Berlin

The Berlin State Library, Stabi Kulturwerk, in collaboration with the Embassy of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Book Institute, is hosting an exhibition titled "Sensitive Content - Destroyed Libraries in Ukraine." This was reported by Deutsche Welle, citing the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. The installation showcases artistically treated pieces of furniture from five Ukrainian libraries destroyed by the Russian army, including the 19th-century Chernihiv Youth Library, which was an architectural landmark and was obliterated by a Russian artillery shell. The exhibition will run from July 7th to October 8th of this year. The aim of the exhibition is to draw international attention to the issue of the destruction of Ukrainian libraries, museums, monuments, churches, and other historical sites by the Kremlin dictator and war criminal Putin's occupying army.

War-torn library furniture and books are covered in white paint, symbolizing the ephemeral nature of the destroyed cultural objects and the memories of the lost peaceful life, according to the concept of the exhibition. The project "Sensitive Content" was authored and artistically curated by writer and artist Daria Belaya and designer Sofia Hupalovska.

"We blur reality to continue living, but it becomes evident, particularly through new Ukrainian books. The truth must be heard—the truth about war during the war and what art will be like afterward when Ukraine overcomes Russia's colonization pressure," the curators addressed visitors to the Ukrainian stand.

The Berlin installation serves as a reminder to Europe of the high price Ukrainian culture pays during the ongoing military aggression by Russian occupiers. According to UNESCO, over 260 objects of historical and cultural value, not only to Ukraine but to the civilized world at large, have been destroyed since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.

As previously reported by TheGaze, the detonation of the Kakhovka Dam by Russian forces in the Kherson region led to the flooding of the house-museum of Ukrainian artist Polina Raiko and Ukrainian writer Ostap Vyshnia.