Yevheniia Moliar

Under decommunization and war in Ukraine, erasing Soviet-era visual heritage leaves communities without the cultural layers needed to process a difficult past. Prevailing narratives oversimplify this complex history, forcing a false binary: either completely destroying public monuments to purge history, or leaving them untouched as unchallenged propaganda. This polarization is worsened by active conflict, which physically destroys art and isolates sensitive museum collections in frontline and occupied territories.

To confront this ideological flattening, the independent artistic and research collective DE NE DE with member Yevheniia Moliar, replaces rigid curatorial rules with flexible, field-based projects. Conducting expeditions across small towns and post-industrial regions, the collective integrates contemporary art directly into permanent local museum displays. This methodology transforms Soviet artifacts from static propaganda into “public assemblies” where conflicting historical narratives can safely coexist.

Through this act of reclaiming memory, DE NE DE’s practice exposes the power dynamics embedded in public monuments while reclaiming overlooked local histories. Amid conflict and displacement, the initiative maintains an infrastructure of care, sustaining a dispersed network of museum professionals to preserve community knowledge across fragmented environments.