On Monday, February 17, two exhibitions will open in Burgas, Bulgaria, to mark the third anniversary of the outbreak of the military conflict in Ukraine. The Embassy of Ukraine in Bulgaria and the Honorary Consulate of Ukraine in Burgas will present the exhibitions “Pictoric” and “Stop Ecocide Ukraine”, which will introduce the Bulgarian audience to the realities of war and the environmental consequences of the Russian invasion that began on February 24, 2022.
The first exhibition, “Pictoric”, presents art that tells the story of the war. The exhibition, organized by contemporary Ukrainian illustrators from the Pictoric Illustrators Club, will open at 17:00 in the Cultural Center “Sea Casino”, in the “Petya Dubarova” hall. The curator of the exhibition is Ukrainian artist Anna Sarvira. The collection includes posters and illustrations that reflect life in conflict and the unyielding spirit of the Ukrainian people.
Since the war began in February 2022, the Pictoric collective has launched the #SupportUkrainePIC project and has since organized over 40 exhibitions around the world, including New York, Ottawa, Paris, Florence, and Utrecht. The artists’ work documents the impact of war on culture, ecology, education, and human rights.
The second exhibition, “Stop Ecocide Ukraine” — War as an Ecological Disaster, will be held at the Peyo Yavorov Regional Library, on the ground floor. It focuses on the environmental consequences of the war and the destruction caused to the nature of Ukraine. According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Ukraine, the war has damaged 20% of the country’s protected areas, and 6 million animals have died. The destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station is one of the most striking examples of ecocide, which has affected not only nature, but also the population, infrastructure, water supply, and energy sector of Ukraine.
The exhibition is part of the international information campaign #StopEcocideUkraine, organized by UAnimals with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Its goal is to draw the attention of the world community to the environmental damage caused by the Russian invasion and to demand international responsibility for ecocide in Ukraine.
The exhibitions will be open to visitors until February 28, 2025.