海角大神

Talking about Ukraine鈥檚 art treasures might not seem the most pressing issue as Ukraine throws its all into fighting Russia鈥檚 invasion. But art was at the heart of a conversation I had last week with the Monitor鈥檚 Martin Kuz, who has been reporting in country for several weeks. It was prompted by eye-catching pictures of volunteers and officials of Lviv鈥檚 Andrey Sheptytsky National Museum taking time to protect their artistic heritage even as their world was being upended. They were聽 large paintings, emptying display cabinets, and, nearby, wrapping statues in fireproof padding.

Such care emerges amid crisis the world over, be it in World War II or in 2012. It鈥檚 clearly motivated by far more than objects鈥� sheer beauty or financial value. So Martin reached out to Olha Honchar, director of Lviv鈥檚 鈥淭erritory of Terror鈥� museum, and put our question to her: Why?

In many ways, the answer is simple: Art tells our stories. 鈥淎rts and culture are essential to Ukrainian identity,鈥� Ms. Honchar said, as she and Martin sat in her museum office in Lviv鈥檚 central square. 鈥淧art of our identity is the history of terror and the pressure of oppressive regimes on our people.鈥� As she took note of Ukrainian soldiers walking by her window, she added, 鈥淎nd we see that happening again.鈥�

Growing up, Ms. Honchar heard family stories of the suffering under Soviet and Nazi regimes that the museum now bears witness to. It鈥檚 鈥渟urreal,鈥� she says, to be leading a museum devoted to recording tyranny as Russia seeks once again to claim Ukraine.

But it is also galvanizing. Art is often targeted in war; its destruction can demoralize civilians and eliminate national stories that conquerors may not like. The museum鈥檚 collection includes archival photos and documents, oral and video histories of survivors, and 鈥渄ecommunized鈥� Soviet monuments. Ms. Honchar was clear she will do everything she can to prevent its erasure 鈥� including by helping organize a that so far has helped 25 Ukrainian institutions as well as 150 museum workers.聽

鈥淚 want to be here documenting the story of Ukraine,鈥� she told Martin. 鈥淭his is what I do, who I am. It鈥檚 important to explain, especially at this really hard time, that Ukraine is not Russia. Ukraine has its own music and literature, its own art. We have to preserve those things as part of preserving who we are.鈥�