"32-33: Holodomor" is a multi-media installation delving into the emotional and historical context of surviving the Stalin-orchestrated famine of 1932-1933 in Soviet Ukraine. Transposing the testimonials of the survivors into film, photos, and material artifacts, the project unlocks this historical event by immersing its audience in its emotional landscape.
HOURS:
April 15th: 5:20 – 7:00 PM [Opening remarks by the curator at 5:30 PM, Sudikoff 003 RSVP]
April 16-April 21st: 10:00 AM – 6 PM
LOCATION:
Sudikoff Hall: 9 Maynard St, Hanover, NH
Part I: Sudikoff 005 [1st floor]
Part II: Sudikoff 214 [2nd floor]
Curatorial statement: Embarking on this year-long project as a Ukrainian filmmaker, researcher, and senior fellow, I wanted to employ space as a visualization of historical experience and generational thought. The Ukrainian Holodomor served as an extension of the Soviet Party's continued attempt at eradicating Ukrainian culture and nation. With more than 4.5 million starving to death, the famine left an immeasurable cross-generational trauma, forever changing the Ukrainian understanding of food, dying, community, identity politics, and colonial desire.
In the first part of the installation, the viewers should expect to learn the historical context of famine, embodied in the Party decrees, the peasant recipes, and the unique banned photographs. Instantaneously, through film excerpts and featured survivor testimonies, an emotional landscape becomes visible, immersing the viewer in the famine years.
Moving to the second part of the installation, the visitors will not only see the film finale but also explore the aftermath of the famine, its international recognition, and the curator's family story. In the end, the installation circles back to the contemporary, linking the project with the realities of the ongoing Russian occupation of the Ukrainian territories.
For inquiries please email polly.chesnokova.24@dartmouth.edu
Installation brochure (front)
Installation brochure (back)