On 24–25 April, Iryna Polikarchuk, director of the Artsvit Gallery, took part in the international interdisciplinary seminar ‘Culture Defence / Kultura Ochrony’, held in Lublin (Poland) as part of the European Capital of Culture Lublin 2029 programme, in collaboration with the Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology at UMCS.
The event brought together researchers, artists and cultural practitioners from various countries to discuss resilience in culture — in the context of war, professional burnout, caring for teams, information security and the role of culture in social transformations.
Iryna shared her experience of working in Ukraine’s cultural sector, specifically using the example of the Artsvit Gallery, during a full-scale war, and reflected on what the concept of ‘resilience’ truly entails — as a personal, professional and social resource shaped by crisis and mutual responsibility.
The seminar, which combined lectures and discussions with practical workshops, provided a space for a collective reflection on culture as a tool for support, but also as a sphere that itself requires care, restoration and new approaches to security and interaction in the context of global crises.
Photo: Tomasz Kulbowski
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