Roman Liubun

Investigative archaeologist, researching cultural landscapes of prehistoric and medieval communities in the Carpathian region, the impact of war on the cultural heritage of Ukraine, GIS in archaeology, statistical methods and models, photogrammetry and 3D documentation of immovable monuments.

By heart – with Etchingroom1 (2024)

For Triennial, the investigative archaeologist of Ukrainian origin, Roman Liubun, has processed and updated his detailed documentation on the loss of heritage and cultural assets that have been occurring in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. The research reveals that by the end of May 2024, up to 1,062 cultural monuments had been destroyed or damaged in Ukraine, particularly in border areas and major cities such as Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Mariupol, and Odesa…

The list of damaged cultural monuments includes primarily architectural objects, religious buildings, theatres, libraries and their holdings, museums and their collections, monuments and memorials, and archaeological sites. The most heavily damaged monuments are architectural structures, especially religious buildings. Some of them were damaged by rocket fire, but another portion of the losses is due to deliberate actions by the Russian army. This primarily involves the intentional destruction of monuments dedicated to fallen Ukrainian soldiers and protesters on Kyiv’s Maidan. Such instances have been recorded in the Kherson, Kyiv, and Donetsk regions. In temporarily occupied territories, the Russian ideological machinery is attempting to erase any trace of Ukrainian culture. An example symbolising this is the deliberately damaged monument to Taras Shevchenko in Borodianka. In addition to immovable heritage, according to intelligence reports, books related to Ukrainian politicians and cultural figures that contradict Russian propaganda are being confiscated in libraries, and monuments and memorials to national heroes are being dismantled in cities.

Liubun collects and visualises data on these monuments into clear infographics that show the rapid progression of destruction. Alongside his research, we are presenting the project Zpaměti by the Ukrainian artist duo Etchingroom1 at the Triennial. The combination of visualised data from Roman Liubun’s research with the stylised drawings and abstract motifs of Etchingroom1 precisely depicts the destruction taking place just a few hundred kilometres beyond our borders, but metaphorically also at every moment in every place.