Cultural Heritage of the Soviet Period in Contemporary Ukrainian Art

Yevheniia Moliar

The history of the Soviet period has always been a very complex and emotionally fraught topic for Ukrainians. This is the case not least because this history was and remains the subject of constant manipulation by Kremlin propaganda, particularly since the beginning of the Russian military intervention and the annexation of Crimea in 2014, and even more so after the launch of the full-scale war in 2022. Russian propaganda has specifically claimed the Soviets as Russian. As a result, the Soviet past is no longer perceived as a chapter in the Ukrainian past but is instead assimilated to the Russian present. This leads to growing intolerance and hatred toward this heritage in society. Due to such manipulations, Ukrainians feel inclined to rid themselves of the cultural heritage of the complex totalitarian past. There was, however, a time when a unique Ukrainian Soviet cultural phenomenon was created. Unfortunately, it is now rapidly disappearing. The fastest loss affects art in the public space: sculptures, monuments, decorative panels, etc. These are the most vulnerable objects that are deliberately destroyed. Such art is being destroyed by Russian bombs and by Ukrainians who have been misled by Russian propaganda. The public debate about the Ukrainian Soviet cultural heritage has been unfolding in Ukraine since the early 1990s when Ukraine became independent. The first phase in this process took place immediately after Ukraine gained independence. The next level (and the most intensive) began at the end of 2013, when protesters knocked down a monument to Lenin in the center of Kyiv during the Revolution of Dignity. This event triggered a wave of spontaneous destruction in different regions of Ukraine, which was called the “Leninfall.” Soon after, a law on decommunization was adopted, which prescribed the removal of objects and symbols of Soviet propaganda from public spaces. The problem in the implementation of this law was and remains its claim that it does not apply to works of art. However, in the course of its implementation, many monuments and public art objects were removed because they were allegedly not works of art but only monumental propaganda. This led to acute polemics and discussions which in particular revolved around about the possibility or impossibility of separating art from propaganda of that period. More generally, these discussions explored the relationship between art and ideology. In various regions of Ukraine, grassroots activist initiatives aimed at preserving the Ukrainian Soviet cultural heritage began to appear. These specifically sought to protect architecture and monumental art. This topic has become particularly relevant in the artistic field. Over the past few decades, a number of contemporary artistic practices have emerged in Ukraine to preserve and rethink the cultural heritage of the Soviet period. This was especially true after 2015, when the public debate intensified. It is important to pay attention to these practices because they can stimulate a critical reassessment of the Soviet heritage and serve as a necessary tool for decommunisation. They also offer an alternative to banning, hiding, and destroying historical and artistic objects. Of course, artistic practices cannot counteract and offset the pressure of modern Russian propaganda. Nevertheless, сontemporary art interventions can illuminate the symbolic layer of these structural phenomena and foster a deeper understanding of what cultural heritage means specifically for Ukrainian society and more generally.