War on Art

In the context of Pedagogies of War, an exhibition by Ukrainian artists Roman Khimei and Yarema Malashchuk, the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza and TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary present a day of events reflecting on the role of cultural practices in times of conflict. The programme opens with a screening of War on Art, a documentary following the volunteer networks that mobilised across Ukraine after the 2022 invasion to protect the country's artistic heritage. Through first-hand testimonies and reconstructed scenes, the film shows how safeguarding artworks becomes both an act of resistance and a means of preserving collective memory. 

After the invasion of 24 February 2022, Ukrainian museums disappeared from online maps and many artworks were moved into improvised hiding places. As institutions in cities like Kharkiv and Kyiv came under threat, with no clear official structures in place, a volunteer network stepped in to protect the country's artistic heritage — carrying out complex and risky operations with minimal resources. Despite these efforts, thousands of works were damaged, lost, or looted. Through first-hand testimonies and reconstructed scenes, War on Art shows how art becomes an active force in a society's survival, and how preserving cultural heritage under extreme conditions is inseparable from defending collective identity.

Written and directed by Andrzej Miękus. 
Director of Photography: Filip Drożdż. 
Editor: Anna Koc-Wittels. 
Music: Cluster Lizard (Dmytro Fedorenko & Kateryna Zavoloka). 
Executive Producer: Teresa Rozanowska (Ketvirta Versija, Lithuania).