What Is Your Name? - an exhibition dedicated to the families of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ukraine and their integration into society as an element of peacemaking – was launched in Mystetsky Arsenal in December, 2016. It is part of a larger UNICEF informational campaign, “You Are Among Friends. Let’s Be Together”.
More than a million people left their homes in the East of the country and moved to other cities of Ukraine such as Kyiv, Dnipro, or Kharkiv. Some have stayed in Luhansk and Donetsk regions, though still relocated. They left almost everything they had and brought only the most needed.
The most vulnerable group in this crisis is children. Children cannot decide whether to stay or leave; they are dependent on the decisions of their parents. UNICEF backed research shows that more than 580 000 children suffered from the conflict in the East of Ukraine as of December 2016, while by the end of February 2017 the number was even more terrifying, having reached more than 1 million. This data also shows that more than 230 000 relocated children are being brought up in struggling economic and social conditions and are in the need of psychological support (data updated in February, 2017). They will grow up and build their own life, but what memories will they have of their childhood? Our main aim is to see and to hear every one of these children.
The exhibition is designed to show the common values and habits we all share, the reach for – safety, comfort and stability. We want people to understand that the only difference between us is the psychological barrier we build within ourselves, thus expanding the distance between us and other people. This barrier raises negative stereotypes about one group of people in the eyes of the others.
We are spotlighting problems of the internally displaced persons in Ukraine with this exhibition with every Ukrainian being a part of our target audience. We want to reach people who have been relocated and those who live in the cities that cope with the IDPs. We want to reach people open for dialogue and those not yet ready for such a development. We believe that art is the exact place to start the dialogue.
With documented facts and artistic projects, the audience will be able to get a deeper understanding of the situation displaced children experienced. The artists participating in the exhibition are dealing with the notions of conflict and peace. They have tried to give voice to current problems that influenced every one of us through the personal stories of their protagonists, engaging and awakening the audience’s empathy and humanity.