The VOICES Exhibition will start at the Kyiv History Museum – the opening of the multimedia space in the Museum of Civilian Voices of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation with an art installation by GOGOLFEST creators. The exposition is intended to reveal the depth and strength of the living stories of peaceful Ukrainian civilians about the war.

“The VOICES Exhibition is the beginning. This is the opening of the multimedia space at the Museum of Civilian Voices offline. In partnership with one of the best historical museums of Ukraine — the Kyiv History Museum. The beginning of the endless telling of the stories of civilians, the beginning of the physical life of the Museum of Civilian Voices. Which will develop in interaction with the audience, and acquire new meanings and dimensions as a reliable source of truth about this war,” Natalia Yemchenko, a member of the Supervisory Board of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, said.

The visitor will be not only an observer but also an active participant in the Exhibition. This is an impressive presence effect, thanks to which each story will be felt deeply and voluminously. Video, audio, and physical art objects will create, on the one hand, a single space to reveal the tragedy of war, on the other hand, the strength and dignity of people who survived despite the horrors.

“There comes a moment when taking stock and forming a road map makes sense. This is an opportunity for everyone to understand: where are you, who are you, who are we? Where are we going? How not to lose hope? There is hope in every war story, no matter how terrible the story is. And also: you cannot forget your history, allow to distort it, and russia has done it and will do it. The Museum of Civilian Voices preserves the history of the country firsthand. The Exhibition is aimed at ensuring that the whole world knows the truth about the evil that russia is doing in Ukraine,” Vlad Troitskyi, the Producer and author of the Exhibition’s idea, Founder of GOGOLFEST, said.

The Museum of Civilian Voices collects, preserves, and shares the stories of peaceful residents of Ukraine who suffered from the war since 2014. 100,000 stories at the Museum are the world's largest archive of testimonies of Ukrainians about russian aggression. This is a firsthand living history of the country, a valuable component of national memory, and an important data source for establishing justice. The Museum's multimedia space is an opportunity to convey this information in a unique way, to give people the opportunity to touch the stories, not just hear them.

The multimedia space will be implemented in collaboration with the Kyiv History Museum, the largest museum association in the capital, which consists of 9 museum branches. The Museum presents historical, artistic, educational projects, and various aspects of the city's history, literature, science, art, social and political life.

“On the eve of the second anniversary of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, when the pain has by no means subsided, and the wounds of human destinies are still bleeding, we, together with the Museum of Civilian Voices, will show the Ukrainian tragedy in the true stories of people who directly faced it. Civilian Voices is the world's largest archive of oral stories of civilians who suffered from the brutal war unleashed by russia in Ukraine back in 2014 in the East of the country. And with this Exhibition, we strive to give a voice to Ukrainian heroes, so that no crime against humanity is forgotten, and anger is reborn into our strength, for the sake of victory and a decent future for Ukraine,” Diana Popova, the CEO of the Kyiv History Museum, emphasized.

A sound installation with five-channel surround sound will be part of the VOICES Exhibition. The soundtrack was written by composer Yana Shliabanska, using the real voices of the heroes of the Museum of Civilian Voices. The team of actors, "Dakh-Trio," creates the poetic and musical composition. The Exhibition will feature poems by Vasyl Stus. And the video series will consist of a compilation of documentary footage, animation, and video art. The Exhibition will also feature real wartime artefacts kept by the Museum.

The VOICES Exhibition will create a special multidimensional space where the voices of Ukrainians, their stories and experiences, carefully collected and preserved by the Museum of Civilian Voices of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, will live and be heard.

Creative Partner of the Exhibition: GOGOLFEST

System Partner: Kyiv History Museum

Exhibition Organiser: Museum of Civilian Voices of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation

Opening: February 22, 2024 (by invitation).

The Exhibition will be open to the public from February 23.