A year ago, the first international office of the Ukrainian Institute was opened in Berlin. Its activities lay the foundation for strong relations between Ukraine and Germany, fostering not only government cooperation but also enhancing interactions between Ukrainian and German institutions, scholars, artists, public figures, businesses, and expert communities.
The permanent representation of the Ukrainian Institute in Germany has created new partnerships and collaboration opportunities. Over the past year, the team has implemented more than 30 projects and received support from the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs for further activities. Specifically, they have engaged Ukrainian artists in collaboration with institutions such as the Humboldt Forum, Hamburger Bahnhof, Brücke Museum, the international literary festival in Berlin (ilb), the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and the Academy of Arts in Berlin.
"In this incredibly eventful and partnership-rich year, one of the team's main achievements is that the Ukrainian Institute in Germany has become a permanent part of the country's cultural landscape for many. For German actors, we have become the institution that represents quality Ukrainian culture and possesses the necessary expertise. Step by step, we are working to change the perception of Ukrainian culture through decolonial narratives. We talk about and remind people of the Russian war in Ukraine, but we also show that Ukrainian culture exists beyond the context of war," says Kateryna Rietz-Rakul, the head of the UI representation in Germany.
Kateryna Rietz-Rakul. Photo by Lisa Vlasenko
Projects of the Ukrainian Institute's representation have taken place throughout Germany: an exhibition about the Kharkiv School of Photography at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Wolfsburg, the presentation of the almanac "Ukrainian New Wave. Before Dawn" at the Dovzhenko Center in Berlin, Jena, Cologne, and Hamburg, and a panel discussion with Ukrainian artists Nikita Kadan and Olena Karavay in Munich.
The representation's active focus is on creating and disseminating information about Ukrainian culture in German. In particular, two information campaigns were conducted for the German audience dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor and the 10th anniversary of the Revolution of Dignity.
The main priorities of the Ukrainian Institute in Germany for the next year include expanding connections with the German academic sphere, further fostering close cooperation with German media, and ensuring the representation of the Ukrainian voice in both cultural events and the German press. Currently, the institute is working on seventeen new projects. Among them is a major conference titled "From Crisis to Future: New Responsibilities for Ukrainian Museums," scheduled for May of this year at the James Simon Gallery in Berlin. The conference is organized in collaboration with the OBMIN Foundation and focuses on decolonization efforts in Ukrainian museums and their work in times of war.
