A Museum Reimagined – Ukraine Crucified (The Russian Invasion of Ukraine #94)

The more I travel, the more I come to dread the prospect of visiting museums. Perhaps this is a byproduct of spending a large part of my life working in them. Who wants to go on a vacation and then spend it in a similar environment to the one from which they were trying to escape for a couple of carefree weeks? Since I am a traveler obsessed with history, museums are to a certain extent unavoidable, but sometimes it feels like I am seeing the same thing again and again. This effect reminds me of a memorable visit to the National Gallery in Washington, DC that I experienced many years ago. This was where I came upon a row of portraits painted by Rembrandt. After the first couple of paintings, they all melded together, indistinguishable from one another. The novelty had worn off, the wow factor no longer applicable, in that moment Rembrandt had become little more than a name to me.

I have found other difficulties while visiting museums. The white glove aesthetic and immaculate presentation of most artifacts are off putting. This is the inevitable attempt to make the real thing better than it ever was meant to be. Museums have a sterility to them that is often the opposite of the down and dirty reality that informs history. If all this was not enough, I am one of those people who is a literal learner so every exhibit must be given a thorough reading. This starts out as an informative virtue that soon turns into an exhausting vice. Museum fatigue set in for me years ago. I feel now that visiting museums is an exercise in going through the motions.

Total Wars - Interpreting The Recent Past

For all the above reasons, I tend to limit my visits to museums while traveling in eastern Europe. Yet there is one museum that I often regret not visiting and plan as a must see when I am able to make a return visit to Ukraine. During my lone trip to Kyiv, I somehow was unable to locate the National Museum of the History of the Second World War in Ukraine. It is one of the largest museums in the country, and for good reason, the war was a catastrophic event in Ukrainian history. It touched the lives of every citizen. No one was able to escape from the totality of that searing experience. In this regard, World War II in Ukraine had a great deal in common with the current war. Unfortunately, the Ukrainian story in World War II was subsumed for generations within Soviet historiography. That began to change after Ukraine gained its independence in 1991.

Ukrainian interpretation of World War II will be further transformed in the coming years by reactions to Russian aggression and how the so called Great Patriotic War (the Soviet and Russian preferred name for the conflict) has been used to promote Russian nationalistic chauvinism.  It will be fascinating to see how the National Museum in Kyiv reinterprets World War II. What would be even more fascinating is to visit the museum now. That is because the museum has taken to interpreting the very recent past with a stunning exhibition, entitled “Crucified Ukraine” concerning the Russian invasion. While Ukraine is still fighting for its existence, the museum is playing a vital role in helping Kyivans understand what those unable to escape from the surrounding area went through in later February and March.

The continuing war - Grain terminal in Mykolaiv hit by Russian bombardment

Living Through History – A Searing Experience

“Crucified Ukraine” includes the re-creation of a multi-room shelter used by civilians in the suburban city of Hostomel during the Russian occupation, stacks of Russian soldier’s boots placed within an illuminated Soviet red star, artifacts from churches damaged in the fighting and official documents such as passports taken from dead Russian soldiers. A television plays the endless streams of propaganda shown on Russian television before the invasion. These objects and their presentation are just the start of what is likely to become a full-blown museum to a war that is still being fought with maximum ferocity. The exhibition is one of the most unique ever conceived because the war is far from over and could find its way back to the streets of Kyiv sometime in the unforeseeable future.

“Crucified Ukraine” redefines the phrase “living history.” This has nothing to do with re-enactors in period garb with faux accents, acting out an approximation of the past. Instead, this is reality on display. It is the past and present inextricably intertwined. Anyone standing in the re-created shelter might wonder if they too will be forced to live underground in the coming months. Those viewing the exhibition might hear the wail of air raid sirens, but this has nothing to do with audio effects in the museum to create a certain mood. Instead, it is the haunting accompaniment to everyday life in the capital. The Russians can still attack Kyiv from afar at any moment. I imagine the exhibition is like looking into a mirror that reflects reality. Not many museum exhibitions manage to get this close to the past.

The pity of war - Historic wooden church on fire in the Donbas

Taking It Personally - The Reality of War

“Ukraine Crucified” is a bold statement about not just the Ukraine-Russia War, but war in general. By showcasing human aspects of the wartime experience, the exhibition is a step away from the glorification of war. This is a welcome change since an overwhelming majority of museums dedicated to military history showcase weapons and other battlefield paraphernalia at the expense of interpreting the human experience. Visitors walk away from such exhibitions with very little comprehension of war’s effect upon individual lives. This depersonalization does not do justice to the reality of war.

Battle maps and impressive weaponry fail to show the physical and psychological scars suffered by soldiers and civilians. The recounting of political settlements does nothing to tell of torture, rape or kidnappings. The reality of war in most museums is neat and finite, rather than bloody and unending. War is a shared, horrific experience that try as they might, anyone who has ever suffered through it cannot forget. Remembering the reality of war is the only way to truly understand it. The “Ukraine Crucified” exhibition aids in that understanding. For that reason, it is well worth a visit. I hope more people, including myself, can see it.