Meanwhile in Ukraine

On 8 March 2022, museum photographer Olena Shovkoplias documented the ongoing war in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Her images show how the city’s residents prepared for the Russian attacks, how they organised themselves and the devastation following the attacks.

The exhibition Meanwhile in Ukraine chronicles the continuing conflict from a Ukrainian perspective, with a focus on the universal suffering brought about by any war. It is based on material from the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, and in addition to Olena Shovkoplias’ poignant photographic documentation, there is also a separate section featuring photographs and paintings that focuses on children and young people’s experiences of war and life as a refugee.

Meanwhile in Ukraine has been produced by the National Swedish Museums of Military History and will be on show throughout the 2023 season at Maritiman. The exhibition aboard the destroyer Småland emphasises how Ukraine has used language as a weapon through art director Alfred Romlin’s creative expressions on the walls.

GRAND OPENING

Come along to the opening of the Meanwhile in Ukraine exhibition on 1 April. We will be collecting donations on the day in aid of Médecins Sans Frontières’ work in Ukraine, and you will have the opportunity to ask questions and listen to powerful, first-hand accounts from one of the organisation’s active team members.

Between 2PM and 3PM, Markus Göransson, Senior Lecturer in War Studies at the Swedish Defence University, will be giving a fascinating talk entitled The Kremlin’s pipe dream and the war in Ukraine. Why did Russia invade? The talk is held in Swedish and is included in your entry fee, but places are limited and available on a first come, first served basis.

Our Matrosen café will be serving a daily lunch of classic Ukrainian beetroot soup borscht, and 30 % of the proceeds will go direct to Médecins Sans Frontlères' work in Ukraine.