LERA LITVINOVA GALLERY

Under the curatorship of Leonora Yanko and Lera Litvinova, a series of documentary, art, and cultural projects are systematically implemented as part of a broader cultural diplomacy mission. Since 2022, this scope has expanded to include vital human rights initiatives. Our projects can be categorized chronologically, reflecting the stages of the war and the emerging challenges of resisting Russian aggression:

• The Revolution of Dignity. One of the inaugural cultural diplomacy initiatives was the documentary and art exhibition "Ukraine: Alternative: Reality and the Future." First launched in 2014 at the Mauermuseum am Checkpoint Charlie (Berlin Wall Museum), it has since become part of the museum's permanent collection. Featuring over 50 eyewitness photographs, artworks, and artifacts from the Maidan, the project provided a raw look at the Revolution of Dignity. According to official statistics, it has been viewed by over 2,000,000 people from more than 20 countries. Between 2014 and 2016, the exhibition was also presented in Luxembourg, Bruges, and Brussels, supported by the Flanders Department of Foreign Affairs.

• The Start of the War: Occupation of Crimea, Sevastopol, and the ATO Zone. In 2015, Leonora Yanko and Lera Litvinova organized the "ATO.Zone" exhibition at the Mauermuseum am Checkpoint Charlie, with the support of the Embassy of Ukraine in Germany. Opening on August 24, Ukraine's Independence Day, the project held great symbolic weight and was visited by the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko. Rather than a literal illustration of war, it was a complex dialogue on resistance, identity, memory, and the societal transformations triggered by the fight for freedom. Additionally, the "Mapping. Ukraine" sculpture and painting exhibition opened at the Rathaus Gallery (Berlin) in 2015, attended by international diplomats. In 2016, further cultural events supported by the Ukrainian Embassy included a women’s solidarity initiative, where female diplomats and ambassadors' spouses discussed the realities of war and engaged in traditional Ukrainian creative techniques.

• The Full-Scale Russian Invasion. In June 2022, a large-scale exhibition was established at the Mauermuseum am Checkpoint Charlie, documenting the first months of the full-scale invasion and providing evidence of crimes committed by Russian forces in occupied territories. The project’s goal was to show European audiences a resilient Ukraine, counter Russian propaganda myths with truthful information, and highlight systemic human rights violations. Now a permanent installation, the exhibit is continuously updated with current photographs, artifacts, and artworks dedicated to the Ukrainian people's struggle.

• Human Rights Advocacy. In 2023, in collaboration with the NGO CrimeaSOS, a dedicated hall was opened at the Mauermuseum am Checkpoint Charlie focusing on Crimean political prisoners and the resistance since 2014. The exhibition features the stories of Kremlin prisoners such as Bohdan Ziza, Leniye Umerova, and Nariman Dzhelyal, alongside lists of those unjustly detained. It also includes maps of "re-education" camps where Russia conducts the forced militarization of illegally deported Ukrainian children, official lists of abducted children, and other evidence. The exhibit continued to expand through 2024 and 2025 as part of the museum's permanent display. In 2024, in partnership with the Belarusian women's initiative "Politvyazynka" (Female Political Prisoner), an exhibition was launched dedicated to Belarusian women’s resistance since 2020. It exposes human rights abuses and the targeted persecution of women, featuring personal belongings and documents provided by former political prisoners. In 2025, projects in Kyiv, organized in cooperation with the ZMINA Human Rights Centre, focused on the children of Crimean political prisoners. Additionally, a joint art project with CrimeaSOS dedicated to political prisoner Bohdan Ziza toured 10 cities across Ukraine. This project aims to dismantle Russian propaganda myths and raise awareness of the ongoing Crimean resistance; further iterations are planned both within Ukraine and abroad as part of our continued cultural diplomacy efforts.