On November 25, the lobby of the new academic building of the National University of Ostroh Academy hosted the presentation of the art project "HØLØDØMØR" by visual communication designer and artist Yuliia Fedorovych, along with books on the topic.
Anastasiia Kheleniuk, the director of the Museum of the NaUOA History, delivered an opening speech:
"We are talking about a sad but significant page in the history of Ukraine, and would like to remind students and the academic community about these events once again. Some documents and archives prove that the Holodomor was a clearly planned Soviet policy to destroy the Ukrainian population so that it would not resist. Yuliia Fedorovych's exhibition is a powerful example of how art can address difficult events and how symbols can be used to read vast swaths of history. If we know the past, we have the opportunity to explain more clearly to ourselves what is happening to us now."
In the series of posters, Yuliia Fedorovych tells the story of the Holodomor through her language of symbols, drawing on both the visual similarities to traditional Ukrainian embroidery (colour schemes, element arrangement) and the symbolism of the totalitarian regime that caused the famine. Each of the 10 posters sequentially tells the tragic story of the famine: the main preconditions, facts, and consequences of the 1930s tragedy, and also has an animated version available in augmented reality.
The exhibition is equipped with a short video broadcast in which Yuliia Fedorovych talks about the project and details the symbolism of each poster:
"The title of my project is the word 'HØLØDØMØR,' in which all the O letters are crossed out." This technique is meant to visually represent how widespread the mortality of Ukrainians was during this genocide. The Holodomor is perhaps the greatest tragedy in the history of Ukraine, causing irreparable trauma to our entire nation. We must continue to speak the truth about the Holodomor because only by condemning the genocidal crimes and atrocities of the past can we prevent their recurrence in the future."
Halyna Tsepiuk, director of the Scientific Library of the NAUOA, also presented students with books and sources on the Holodomor in Ukraine. The exhibition featured not only Ukrainian but also foreign researchers working in this field.
We do not find the word 'Holodomor' in the documents of that time; only the term 'food crisis' appears. Thanks to foreign journalists, the Holodomor began to be discussed and covered in books. One of the first such books was Henry Chamberlain's 'The Iron Age of Russia', published in 1933. In 1934, 'Maria' by Ukrainian writer and journalist Ulas Samchuk was published. Discover books about the Holodomor and explore relevant sources. Historians, lawyers and journalists are currently investigating these events. The more facts we know, the more we will understand and remember our history and identity.
The exhibition will run for a month and is open for viewing on working days. By prior arrangement with museum staff, you can book a guided tour (tel. 0976601280, museum@oa.edu.ua).
