Solutions from Ukraine: Ukraine developing first decolonization manual for foreign museums

Photo: open sources

Alvina Kaminska

The Ukrainian Institute initiated the creation of a decolonization guide for foreign museums – with a focus on Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Institute reports this.

What is the problem?

It should be noted that Illia Repin, Arkhip Kuindzhi, Ivan Aivazovsky, Kazimir Malevich, Oleksandra Ekster, and Abram Manevich are just a few examples of artists whose undeniable ties to Ukraine have long been downplayed by the Russian Federation or denied altogether.

An example of this is an event that took place in 2021. Then, the Finnish Museum, in cooperation with the Tretyakov Gallery and the Museum of Russian Art, held a major exhibition of Repin's works. It said that the artist was born on the territory of modern Ukraine but was presented as a Russian.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, many other museums around the world also reassessed the provenance of artists believed to be Russian.

In Finland, the decision to change Repin's nationality took the Finnish Museum about two years from the time of the first appeals after the exhibition in 2021.

What is the solution?

Thus, the Institute of Ukraine initiated the creation of a decolonization manual for Ukrainian and foreign museums and cultural heritage institutions, focusing on Ukraine.

As the initiators said, developed in cooperation with international partners and experts in the field of culture, it will contain the following:

• analysis of specific examples,
• and review of best practices.

How does it work?

This is the first guide of its kind, developed specifically for museums and cultural heritage institutions in Ukraine, Great Britain, and worldwide.

The guide will become an accessible tool for specialists and everyone who tries to define and describe the cultural heritage of Eastern Europe correctly.

The institute believes it will also help reveal hidden prejudices and stereotypes that may have arisen due to decades of aggressive colonizer policies.

The guide will offer some practical steps and answers to questions:

• How to identify Ukrainian cultural heritage?
• How to describe historically changing state borders?
• How to avoid incorrect vocabulary, terminology, and labeling?
• How to represent a controversial legacy?

The guide's development approach is based on the methodology used by the Association of Museums in creating the guide "Supporting Decolonization in Museums," published in 2021.

^{Photo: Facebook / Ukrainian Institute}

Created through a series of workshops, focus groups, and independent testing, the developers said the guide will be:

• published in digital format,
• available for free download.

"The project was initiated by the Ukrainian Institute and developed in cooperation with the Museums Association, ICOM UK – International Council of Museums UK, and ICOM Ukraine with the support of the British Council Ukraine," experts emphasized.

For reference:

In February 2023, the Metropolitan Museum in New York continued to rectify historical injustice towards Ukraine by referring to Ilya Repin and Ivan Aivazovsky as Ukrainian artists rather than Russian artists, following their previous recognition of Arkhip Kuindzhi as Ukrainian.

In addition, the Metropolitan Museum in New York renamed the painting by the French impressionist Edgar Degas "Russian Dancers" to "Dancers in Ukrainian Dress."