War Diaries: ‘What is this, there’s no name for it?’

11 May – summer 2022

1pm–6pm Monday–Friday
10am-5pm Saturday

The latest exhibition at Pushkin House acts as a platform for translation and presentation of first-hand accounts reflecting on the current events in Ukraine. Direct witnesses of the Russian invasion record their daily observations and emotions, contributing to the body of texts that describes the struggle of people, their daily lives, their anger and hopes. 

While the media are producing a stream of tragic imagery in real time, artists and thinkers affected by the war produce immediate complex responses, creating an archive of multi-layered evidence of these devastating historical events.

In developing this space, where voices of artists and writers from Ukraine can be heard and discussed, Pushkin House aims to preserve these messages, immediately reacting to their authors’ desire to capture the urgency of the war and their recent personal experiences. All texts are being reproduced with their authors’ permission. In cases where the author provided their own original text in English, the author’s original spelling was edited for typos but otherwise preserved without edits. 

This exhibition is a continuation of our anti-war efforts as an independent UK-based cultural organisation with Russian origins. Since the beginning of the war, Pushkin House has raised £15255.20 in support of a range of humanitarian charities and initiatives in Ukraine through solidarity events and fundraisers.

If you wish to directly support the Ukrainian creatives whose diaries are featured in this exhibition, please click here to donate.