Pinchuk called on participants of Venice Biennale 2022 to inspire world to help Ukrainians in Mariupol: "We can still save them". VIDEO
The exhibition "This is Ukraine: Defending Freedom" opened on April 21 as part of the Venice Biennale 2022.
The exhibition is organized with the participation of the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, the Office of the President and the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, Censor.NET reports with reference to the PinchukArtCentre.
The opening began with a speech by businessman and philanthropist Viktor Pinchuk.
"My name is Victor Pinchuk. I am Ukrainian. I am very proud to say "Ukrainian", - he began his speech.
The war has different fronts, first of all - military, as well as political, diplomatic, economic, informational and very important - cultural front. We decided that here in Venice, we have to show how Ukraine is fighting for freedom. For us it is very important to show I know that the war will inspire you, perhaps a century from now, but we need your inspiration now! To motivate other people to help Ukraine, to send weapons, just now! " he said.
In his speech, Pinchuk presented a video address by a Ukrainian defender from a bunker in Mariupol, which was recorded three weeks ago and killed by Russians 5 days ago.
"We do not want to be heroes and martyrs posthumously. People want to live and rebuild a ruined Ukraine. You should not make films about it and write books. You should not say that you did not know or could not help. You knew. And you could," she said. Ukrainian defender from the bunker in Mariupol.
"It is really impossible to watch this video, but it is a powerful signal to you, to the art world - you have to inspire people, the world now. Now we can still save the lives of Ukrainians," Pinchuk urged.
Then the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the participants of the Venice Biennale.
At the beginning of his speech, the head of state noted that the actions of tyrants fuel the unwillingness of some free people living in security to timely support the efforts of other free people who are threatened by tyranny.
"If the whole democratic world is built on the ideas of freedom, why do you often feel alone in defending freedom? If freedom is a universal value, why does the struggle for freedom of different peoples never receive the same support?" Zelensky asked in a video message.
According to him, neither politicians, nor experts, nor the media will answer these questions, because the answers to them are beyond words.
The President stressed that there are no tyrants who would not try to limit art, because they see its power, and art itself can tell the world what not to say in words.
"Art conveys feelings," Zelensky said, adding that it could make sense of the feelings of a girl from Mariupol who wrote a letter to a dead mother who died in the Russian shelling, the feelings of Ukrainian soldiers who came to Bucha after liberation from Russian occupation saw hundreds of bodies of murdered people - the feeling of a lost home, which appeared in millions of Ukrainians. "
The audience was also addressed by the Mayor of Venice Luigi Bruniaro, the President of the Venice Biennale Roberto Chicutto, Sviatoslav Vakarchuk and Tina Karol, and the Ambassador of Ukraine to Italy Yaroslav Melnyk read a letter from the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska.
The exhibition "This is Ukraine: Defending Freedom" consists of two parts. The first part presents the monumental emotional works of three artists who continue to live and work in Ukraine, despite the war waged by Russia. New works by Yevhenia Belorusets (1980), Nikita Kadana (1982) and Lesia Khomenko (1980) use the poetics of subject evidence and eyewitness voices to comprehend the realities of the war they are witnessing. Their works resonate with Ukrainian historical masterpieces by artists Maria Prymachenko (Ukraine, 1909), Tatiana Yablonska (Ukraine, 1917), as well as the icon of the artist Stefan Meditsky (Ukraine, XVII century). In the second part of the exhibition, Ukrainian artists are presented together with international colleagues-friends of Ukraine. They speak of a deep connection with the country, forming a united front against the war. Their work responds to the urgent need for the world community to unite around Ukraine. Among the presented authors are Marina Abramovich (Serbia, 1946), Olafur Eliasson (Denmark, 1967), JR (France, 1983), Damien Hirst (Great Britain, 1965), Boris Mikhailov (Ukraine, 1938) and Takashi Murakami (Japan, 1962).
