The Maidan Museum: Preserving the Spirit of Maidan
Art, Identity, and the Revolution of Dignity With a foreword by Chris Farrands.
The book explores the connection between art produced during the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine and the mission of the Maidan Museum in Kyiv, which aims to preserve the ‘Spirit of Maidan’. This period, known as the Maidanization process, fostered a new apolitical ideology centered on dignity and Ukrainianness, creating symbols, social myths, and a collective identity that transformed the consciousness of the demonstrators. It served as a ritual that shaped the identity of a new Ukraine. In this context, artists were instrumental in crafting the post-Maidan Ukrainian identity (homo Maidan), empowering the movement with innovative ideas and reinterpreting existing objects, symbols, and music through processes of meaningization and sacralization. The volume draws on interviews with artists involved in the Maidan events and fieldwork at the Maidan Museum, revealing the emotions, expectations, and motivations behind the interplay of art and Ukrainian identity formation. This work highlights the ongoing memory and identity processes since the Maidan revolution, particularly in light of the current war. It is an essential read for understanding the complex relationship between social revolution and cultural policies, as well as the intricate dynamics of Ukrainian history and identity.
