Last week’s exhibition “The Horrors of War” was a must for me. The works of the Ukrainian artist Iryna Fedorenko, the photographer Mykhailo Palinchak and the German photographer Natalie Strohmaier were presented in the Munich gallery Galerini. I went with my husband who is visiting from Kyiv. Iryna Fedorenko is one of the most famous painters in Ukraine. She comes from Mariupol and fled to Munich with her son and mother at the beginning of the war. Since then she lives and works here.
The first thing that caught my eye were the children’s eyes in the portraits painted by Iryna Fedorenko. They were very different, but always sad. I could feel the pain in those eyes and would do anything to make those eyes smile again. Perhaps it is comforting that the portraits are not of real children. “They are collectible pictures of the war,” said the artist.
The pain in the eyes in the paintings of Iryna Fedorenko goes straight to the heart of Emiliia Dieniezhna.
(Photo: private)
Iryna Fedorenko is also the curator of this exhibition, which was sponsored by the Consulate General of Ukraine in Munich. Her hometown of Mariupol on the Black Sea was destroyed by the Russian army. Before the war she lived in Kyiv. Art is like therapy for her, says Iryna Fedorenko. In her portraits she can express her feelings. Also, when her hands are busy, she has less time to get angry.
The exhibition is intended to help keep the topic of the Russian war of aggression up to date in Munich. Iryna Fedorenko and many of the Ukrainian visitors have the impression that German interest in the terrible events in Ukraine is waning. Art should help keep the horror alive.
My husband and I found it difficult to look at the photos by Mykhailo Palinchak, the pictures were so surrealistically close to our earlier lives. The photos show streets from Kyiv near our apartment. A picture shows the bombed out shopping center in the immediate vicinity of my mother’s apartment. Another photo shows the butcher shop not far from my old office where I bought fresh meat. The store was destroyed by the shock wave of a Russian missile. My husband said he sees this destruction every day when he drives to work.
Our Ukrainian columnist in the exhibition “The Horrors of War”.
(Photo: private)
Mykhailo Palinchak’s photos also show many other atrocities of the war. A missile stuck in a street. Graves of dead war victims in backyards. Many photos show people hiding from Russian attacks under often half-ruined bridges, which offer better protection than nothing. Fear and terror are written in the eyes of these people. Some pictures are taken in bunkers where people have to hold out for days because it’s too dangerous up there. adults and children. Nobody deserves this.
But there are photos that make me proud and almost a little happy. These are photos with pets. It is very moving to see how Ukrainians rescue their pets from life-threatening situations. This is how my people are: We are kind and empathetic. Because Putin sends Russians to war to murder Ukrainians, Ukrainians save everything alive.
The artist Iryna Fedorenko calls her paintings “Art for Peace” or art for peace. I am very thankful for everyone who helps Ukrainians to live in peace again. However, these images and photos are also a reminder that the war in the heart of Europe is ongoing and further commitment is needed.
Emiliia Dieniezhna, 34, fled from Kyiv to Pullach near Munich with her then four-year-old daughter Ewa. From there she works on a voluntary basis for the non-governmental organization NAKO, whose aim is to fight corruption in Ukraine. She also teaches German to Ukrainian refugee children. Once a week she writes a column for the SZ about her view from Munich on the events in her home country.