The destruction of unique monuments of culture has become one of the sorest points in our society. In The Day preserving our cultural heritage has always been in the limelight and is discussed comprehensively, while life continues to give us new examples of the same motif. After publications of the danger threatening Kyiv’s St. Sophia’s Cathedral and Larysa Skoryk’s statements (The Day No. 30 of October 8), a premonition arose that soon some new regional cultural scandals would occur. However, we had no idea that it is going to happen so close to us.
A mosaics panel by outstanding Ukrainian artist Alla Horska is facing the threat of being destroyed. A monumental work named Bird Woman (artists Horska, Zaretsky, and Synytsia) decorates the hall of Rubin Jewelry Store in downtown Donetsk. The shop’s new owners are planning to open a McDonald’s here and have already started construction and decoration work. This became known to the broad public owing to head of the Donetsk oblast organization of the Union of Ukrainian Women Liudmyla Ohnieva, master of arts and crafts by training. The oblast organization of the National Artists’ Union of Ukraine headed by A. Dereza and oblast branch of the women’s union turned to Minister of Culture and Arts of Ukraine Yury Bohutsky with a written request to protect this treasure of the nation’s culture. There was every reason to raise the alarm. During the years of privatization dozens of unique pieces of monumental art have been destroyed in Donetsk: mosaic panels; metal, ceramic, and plaster bas- reliefs; as well as frescos and wall paintings in various stores and pedestrian underpasses. For new owners the works of art seemed unnecessary. Such acts of vandalism became possible under the conditions of the public and authorities’ complete indifference: the cultural monuments just disappeared one by one, with nobody ever noticing. What shall we tell our descendants in the next five or ten years if we don’t intervene in the course of events immediately? Such was the question worrying people not indifferent. The oblast organization of the Taras Shevchenko All- Ukrainian Prosvita Society together with the National Artists’ Union of Ukraine and Ukrainian Women’s Union oblast branches sent an address to the then head of the Donetsk Oblast State Administration Viktor Yanukovych and of the Donetsk Oblast Council Kolesnykov proposing to include the mosaic panels by Synytsia, Horska, Zaretsky, and Zubchenko in the register of monuments of the arts protected by the state. Fourteen works by these authors located in Donetsk and Mariupol were listed in the missive.
It is worth mention that in the 1960s Kyiv monumental artists created wonderful examples of Ukrainian arts in Donetsk oblast, imparting a vivid national coloring to this Russian language region. Unfortunately, in our days many Ukrainian nouveaux riches took a fancy to constructing medieval dungeons and Egyptian Pyramids. If only they didn’t ruin true works of art when doing so...
A prompt reply came from the Ministry of Culture and Arts of Ukraine, signed by Deputy State Secretary L. Novokhatko. It reads, “according to the law of Ukraine on Preserving the Cultural Heritage, Article 14, clause 2, an object of cultural heritage is subject to preservation until the question of including it in the register is solved.” The Arts Department of the Donetsk Oblast State Administration was commissioned to “secure the preparing of the registration documents for the object in question and its preservation.”
It seemed like a time for celebration. However, defenders of the artistic monuments have to turn to various institutions again. In their November 7 statement, deputy head of the Prosvita oblast organization Mariya Oliynyk and Liudmyla Ohnieva inform, “Regardless of the Ministry of Culture and Arts of Ukraine’s letter dated October 14, 2002, on taking under preservation the Bird Woman mosaics panel until the question of including it to the register is solved, it is being dismantled.” A representative of the Pivden firm, the Rubin owner, explains in mass media that the Arts Department did not send the register at their request. Recall that according to the law of Ukraine on Preserving the Cultural Heritage, Article 14, clause 2, “an object of cultural heritage, including newly discovered ones, is subject to preservation in accordance with the requirements of the present law.” There is no need to trouble mailmen with delivering the Register.
In reply to Ms. Oliynyk’s “bothersome” inquiries on dismantling works in the former Rubin premises, she was solemnly presented at one office a copy of a statement On the Inspection of the Mosaics Panel, reading, “The contract organization has executed a partial opening of the panel’s perimeter to determine its construction for defining the possibility of dismantling it.” The commission handling the panel’s inspection included many representatives of the Pivden and Yaspys firms, the store’s owners. Meanwhile, as early as in 2001 the Consultative Council on Preserving the Cultural Heritage was created at the oblast state administration, which doesn’t include any representatives of the mentioned firms. It looks like creating the “commission for inspection” (which does not even have a name) was illegal and its conclusions on the possibility of the panel’s dismantling are invalid.
The fight to preserve our cultural heritage in Donetsk oblast continues. It is known that outstanding Ukrainian artist Alla Horska’s fate was tragic; she was atrociously killed under unclear circumstances. We have no right to let her creative heritage be destroyed. The Bird Woman is stretching out her wings to the people for help.
COMMENT
Mykola PTASHKA, Deputy Head of the Arts Department of the Donetsk Oblast State Administration:
“The situation concerning the Bird Woman has finally become clearer. I believe that the main point is already settled: the panel won’t be transported anywhere; it stays in the Rubin premises. The only change is that from now on Alla Horska’s work will be located in the Rubin central hall. On the cultural value of this work, the final word is up to Ms. Oliynyk. If she is able to present any proof to the expert commission that the Bird Woman is a monument of culture, not just a decoration of the Rubin store, we will be only pleased. Specialists from the Kyiv Restoration Center who visited Donetsk couldn’t come to any conclusions on the subject. In fact, this was outside their competence, since they came to Donetsk to evaluate the Woman Bird’s present condition. Let me assure the admirers of Ms. Horska’s talent that her work will stay in the Rubin central hall.”
