Resistance in the occupied territories continues, often with a female face. 

The Office of the Crimea Platform hosted the final curatorial tour of the exhibition “LOMYKAMIN’. Women’s Resistance in Crimea” and a discussion with artists Alevtina Kakhidze, Yulia Po, and Maria Kulikovska.

The exhibition is an important reminder that, despite established stereotypes, war has always been a matter for everyone: men and women alike.  It was opened on February 26, 2024, the Resistance Day to Occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol. The purpose of the exhibition was to draw public attention to the stories of women who were illegally imprisoned for supporting Ukraine; to honor the strength and courage of the wives of political prisoners, as well as those who resist the occupiers every day, demonstrating the struggle for their rights and freedoms.

Today’s event was attended by representatives of public organizations, media, artists, activists, and students. The tour was led by the exhibition curator, the creative director of the Ukrainian Institute Tetiana Filevska. This was the fifth and final tour of the art project. Tamila Tasheva, the Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, delivered a welcoming speech:

It was important to me that women talk about women, and there was solidarity in doing so. I hope you will continue to tell these stories because these are our people and our land. We are fighting for territories, but we are also fighting for people.

Many people from mainland Ukraine mistakenly believe that there was no resistance to the occupiers in Crimea: neither in 2014 nor in 2022. This exhibition gave a voice to those who have been fighting against the occupation regime for many years, risking their freedom and lives. In the darkness of the occupation, it is a ray of light that paves the way for the voices of Crimean women, who have remained in the shadows and under the weight of Russian propaganda and repression.

“My loved ones, my land… It is a crime to give up one for the sake of the other,“ said Leniie Umerova, illegally imprisoned in the occupied Crimea, in the occupation “court”. Her phrase is captured in the drawings of the famous artist Alevtina Kakhidze, whose works are widely presented in the exhibition and highlight the stories of political prisoners Irina Danilovich, Halyna Dovhopola, and other activists illegally held by Russia behind bars.

Another part of the exhibition was devoted to sketches of Crimean Tatar ornaments found in the archives of the Kosach family. According to Tetiana Filevska, Lesya Ukrainka was deeply fascinated by Crimean Tatar culture: she drew more than 50 sketches of Crimean Tatar ornaments. “Lesya brilliantly places Ukraine in the European context, she is inspired by Yalta,” says the curator of the exhibition.

An important part of the tour consisted of the diaries kept by activists of the Zla Mavka women’s resistance movement in the occupied territories. Visitors also had the opportunity to see the joint installation by Liia Dostlieva and Yulia Po, the Beach, and the Crimea. Home project and its part There is No Other Home by Emine Ziyatdinova, the social sculpture Raft Crimea by Maria Kulikovska, and other artworks.

A discussion was also held with the participation of the artists and the curator of the exhibition, moderated by Yevhen Bondarenko, Head of the Information Support Department of the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. During the discussion, crucial issues were raised: life under occupation, establishing a dialogue with people who have lived in the hostile information space for more than 10 years, reflection through personal stories, the importance of highlighting the role of women in resisting the occupiers and their contribution to the fight against the enemy.

Curator Tetiana Filevska explained the symbolic title of the exhibition:

The saxifrage (lomykamin’) is a unique flower, endemic to the Crimea, growing high in the mountains in conditions not adapted to life. It is this image of female strength, the ability to overcome all circumstances and not only survive but also thrive, that is the symbol of this exhibition.

By the way, after the discussion, the participants planted this flower on the Mission territory. It was a gift from Tetiana Filevska.

We thank all visitors to the exhibition for their attention to the issue of Crimea and women’s resistance to the occupation. In the future, the exhibition will become a part of the project on the non-violent resistance of Ukrainian women in the occupied territories, Unseen Force, which will open on May 18 at the Ukrainian House.