Memory Route Unveiled in Kyiv
In Kyiv, at the Lukiavynske historical and memorial reserve, a new memory route has been launched, uniting the graves of eight prominent Ukrainian artists from the 19th and 20th centuries.
The route features informational stands, and audio guides are accessible via QR codes in both Ukrainian and English. The Ukrainian version is voiced by actress Rimma Zyubina.
The following artists are included in the memory route:
- Volodymyr Orlovskyi (1842–1914) — a painter who was a pioneer of the Ukrainian landscape school.
- Mykola Murashko (1844–1909) — founder of the Kyiv Drawing School and author of the first Ukrainian drawing manuals.
- Serhii Svitoslavskyi (1857–1931) — a master of plein air painting, known for his focus on light and atmosphere.
- Mykola Pymonenko (1862–1912) — a realist painter, distinguished master of genre painting.
- Oleksandr Murashko (1875–1919) — a key figure of Ukrainian Art Nouveau.
- Fedir Krychevskyi (1879–1947) — an artist and educator, the first rector of the Ukrainian Academy of Arts.
- Oleksandr Bohomazov (1880–1930) — an avant-gardist, one of the first theorists of avant-garde art.
- Viktor Palmov (1888–1929) — an avant-gardist who developed the concept of color painting.
The route, audio guides, and information about the artists can also be found on the "Invisible Gallery" page of The Ukrainians media, whose team created this project with the support of Lady Di Atelier. Partners of the project include the Lukiavynske historical and memorial reserve and the National Art Museum of Ukraine. The idea was initiated by journalist and documentary filmmaker Daria Hirna.
Many of these artists were appropriated by the Russian Empire or erased from our national memory due to Soviet repression. We want to emphasize that these artists who shaped the history of Ukrainian and world art are buried on Ukrainian soil. Many burials of prominent Ukrainians are still scattered around the world due to the two major wars that swept through Ukraine in the 20th century. We also want to draw attention to the condition of such burials and their restoration, the importance of forming a Ukrainian pantheon, and to reflect on whether Ukraine is ready to return to the European context of memory culture, where a historical cemetery is not just a place of mourning but also a cultural space,” says Daria Hirna.
