On May 18th, the museum hosted the presentation of Serhiy Burbel's art project, "Qirim."

The project began in January 2013, a year before the occupation of Crimea, when there was already a sense that "something was about to happen..." It was shaped by continuous travels across the peninsula and the study of its history. The tragic deportation of the Crimean Tatars in 1944 was particularly impactful. From the very beginning, the decision was made to use toponyms in the painting titles to make it clear to viewers that there was no "Russian spirit" or "Russian world" here, nor should there be. Otherwise, there would be trouble. And so it happened...

Starting in 2014, the project's main goal has been to constantly draw attention to the ongoing problem of occupied Crimea and the oppression of its indigenous people with a rich history. The Crimean Tatars are once again facing the same enemy that devastated their homes in 1944. Since 2022 and the beginning of the full-scale war, the project has taken on new meanings. Empty fortresses, temples, and cave cities, once symbols of the indigenous peoples' deportation, are transforming into something more — into what Russia is creating today. The cave cities of Crimea formed over centuries, and now Russia is turning modern Ukrainian cities into "cave cities" in a matter of weeks or months. The problem has transformed and become larger. Executions, torture, rape of civilians... The deportation of Ukrainian children is the same deportation the world reacted to. History repeats itself, especially if evil remains unpunished. It is becoming clear that this war began in Crimea and must end there.

At the exhibition, you will be able to see and hear paintings with integrated texts of Crimean Tatar songs from Jamala's musical album "Qırım."