Award-winning project Preserving the Art and Memory of Polina Raiko celebrated in Lviv, Ukraine

On 13 June, the European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award for the project Preserving the Art and Memory of Polina Raiko was presented in Lviv, Ukraine, during the exhibition Everything Is Fine at the Jam Factory Art Center. Natalia Moussienko, Vice-President of Europa Nostra, and Oksana Uzlova, Manager of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kyiv, participated in the ceremony.

The Award was received by the TOTEM Centre for Cultural Development, led by Olena Afanasieva, as part of an exhibition dedicated to self-organised artistic initiatives in Ukraine and their vital contribution to sustaining cultural life in the face of war, displacement and uncertainty.

To mark this special occasion, the exhibition’s curatorial team created an architectural model inspired by the house of the renowned Ukrainian naïve artist Polina Raiko. Serving both as an exhibition piece and as a poignant symbol of the vulnerability of cultural heritage in times of conflict, the model reflects the determination of local communities to preserve memory despite the devastating consequences of war. The Awards plaque was symbolically displayed on the model, becoming an integral part of the exhibition. During the opening days, approximately 200 visitors engaged with this installation.

During a press conference, Olena Afanasieva presented the story behind the award-winning project and reflected on the collective efforts to preserve and promote the artistic legacy of Polina Raiko following the destruction of her house after the collapse of the Kakhovka Dam in 2023. She also underlined the wider significance of community-led action in safeguarding cultural heritage during times of war.

The ceremony coincided with the presentation of Walls, a graphic novel dedicated to cultural heritage and the people committed to its protection. The publication features the story of Polina Raiko’s house among other heritage narratives. Its latest edition also includes an image of the European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award plaque presented to the project Preserving the Art and Memory of Polina Raiko. An English-language edition is currently in preparation.