Light in Dark Times is the title of this exhibition. It could hardly be more fitting. The sad occasion is the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022. In the first year of the war, there was a major attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, in which eight museums, along with university and residential buildings, were damaged, including the Khanenko Museum in the heart of Kyiv city centre. The short sequence from a security camera on display in the exhibition vividly shows the impact of the rocket strike on 10 October 2022, right next to the museum. Despite rapid emergency measures, concerns remained about the valuable collection of stained glass, which is particularly vulnerable to damage from vibration. The fact that the fragile works of art arrived safely in Cologne in December 2024 and can now be seen in an exhibition together with stained glass from the Museum Schnütgen is the gratifying result of a German-Ukrainian museum partnership initiated by the UKRAINE funding line of the Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung and the HERMANN REEMTSMA STIFTUNG together with the stained-glass research centre Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi Germany. The fact that art in its various forms of expression continues to live and develop, and that it is visible and tangible to the people of Ukraine as a central part of their own cultural identity, especially in times of war, is something that cultural workers, those in positions of responsibility in museums and other cultural institutions, and artists in Ukraine have made their mission. It is a difficult mission, especially given the increasingly dramatic world political situation since the beginning of the Russian invasion. With incredible energy and hope for an early peace, our Ukrainian colleagues Foreword and Acknowledgements 9
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI5NTQ=