"One Day More" from a Wartime Diary at the European Parliament in Brussels

One Day More is an artwork by Ukrainian artist Yevgenia Belorusets commissioned by EUNIC Brussels and the European Cultural Foundation, to support those who are working and living in the war zone. Produced in Kharkiv, under exceptional circumstances of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the artwork is transported across borders, finding its temporary home in the Citizens’ Garden of the European Parliament in Brussels, where it will be open to the public from the 6th of September until the 29th of October 2022.

The table, a sign of solidarity, hopes to become a place of gathering and sharing, and a place to contemplate the words of Yevgenia Belorusets’ wartime diary. With entries from the diary carved into the surfaces of the table, these experiences are engraved into the hard metal as well as that of collective memory.

‘Called One Day More, this installation allows me to ponder the weight of a single day in the warzone. Words become one with things. In this war, the ruins of objects and cities will bear witness together with human beings. The surface of this object becomes rusted over: memory grows less distinct, but it does not vanish’ shares Yevgenia Belorusets.

The inauguration of the work will begin with a welcome by a Vice-President of the European Parliament and H.E. Vsevolod Chentsov, Ambassador, Head of the Mission of Ukraine to the EU. Laura Boxberg, former EUNIC Brussels President and The Director of the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux and André Wilkens, Director of the European Cultural Foundation will give short introductions.

This will be followed by an interview of Yevgenia Belorusets by Björn Geldhof, Director, PinchukArtCentre, Kyiv, after which the audience will have a chance to ask their questions during a brief Q&A.

The event will be punctuated by musical interventions by Ukrainian violinist Tatiana Koichurenko-Vavilina and Roman Borkowsky, viola.

‘We cannot forget what is going on in Ukraine, this artwork will be a symbolic place to gather and discuss and a physical reminder about this horrific war. I am honoured to work together with Yevgenia Belorusets and our partners on this project. Culture and art help to create a space for understanding even in the darkest of times and as cultural institutes and organisations we must play our part in making sure the support and opportunities are created for artists’ Laura Boxberg and André Wilkens.

The artwork is commissioned by EUNIC Brussels and the Culture of Solidarity Fund Ukraine powered by the European Cultural Foundation.

The exhibition is possible thanks to the generous support of the European Parliament, providing a beautiful space in the Citizens’ Garden for the artwork to be exhibited. Partners also include Mission of Ukraine to the European Union, PinchuckArtCentre in Kyiv and M HKA.

If you would like to give support, you can do so via the United24 Platform.

United24 was initiated by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the main venue for collecting charitable donations in support of Ukraine. Funds are transferred to the official accounts of the National Bank of Ukraine and allocated by assigned ministries to cover the most pressing needs.


Practical Information:

Date & Time: Tuesday, 6 September 17:30-18:30 CET

Address: Citizens’ Garden, Rue Vautier / Vautierstraat 62, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium Accessibility: The Citizens’ Garden is accessible for people with reduced mobility, there is a chair lift and ramp to enter the garden independently. In case of questions about accessibility, please contact +022844321.

The artwork is commissioned by EUNIC Brussels and the Culture of Solidarity Fund Ukraine powered by the European Cultural Foundation.

Partners include the European Parliament, Mission of Ukraine to the European Union, PinchukArtCentre in Kyiv and M HKA. The musical programme is supported by the U.S. Mission to the European Union.

About The War Diary (2022)

I was writing a war diary from Kyiv, updated in real-time and published by Spiegel (DE) and ISOLARII (EN). It was released daily from 24.2. till 5.4.2022. Each day of the diary includes one to five photos.

It is an ongoing project, republished also at Artforum, written originally in German translated in several languages.

It was a part of the exhibition “This is Ukraine: Defending Freedom” at 59th Venice Biennale 2022, a joint force project between the PinchukArtCentre, the office of the President of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Culture.

https://belorusets.com/work/the-war-diary

About the Citizens’ Garden

The Citizens’ Garden is a green oasis in the busy European Quarter. Just 100 metres from the European Parliament’s official entrance, the garden is in the grounds of the former residence and studio of the 19th century artist Antoine Wiertz.

The garden opened to the public for the first time in September 2020 thanks to investment and renovation by the European Parliament.

About EUNIC

EUNIC – European Union National Institutes for Culture – is the European network of organisations engaging in cultural relations. Together with our partners, we bring to life European cultural collaboration in more than 100 countries worldwide with a network of 136 clusters, drawing on the broad experience of our members from all EU Member States and associate countries. EUNIC Brussels is the framework through which EU national cultural institutions, with a permanent presence in Belgium, together with their networks throughout Europe co-operate in the development and execution of multilateral cultural projects.

About the European Cultural Foundation

The European Cultural Foundation promotes a European sentiment through developing and supporting cultural initiatives that let us share, experience and imagine Europe. The foundation office in Amsterdam brings together 13 different nationalities, working as a dedicated team on realising the mission and vision.

Press enquiries

Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information about the event. The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux is a member of the EUNIC Brussels cluster.

Interviews

There will be a moment for the press to interview Yevgenia Belorusets after the event. It will also be possible to arrange online interviews.

Images

You may use the images free of rights for articles about the exhibition. Please do not crop the images and always mention the full copyright.


Press

Olena Perepadya, "Russian propaganda will always atack Ukrainian trauma" [UA], Deutsche Welle, 07.09.2022
У саду Європарламенту презентували металевий стіл з викарбуваним текстом про війну в Україні [UA], Podrobnosti, 07.09.2022
Interview with Yevgenia Belorusets in the Citizens' Garden of the European Parliament [ENG], PinchukArtCenter, 07.09.2022
Werk einer ukrainischen Künstlerin im "Citizens‘ Garden" des EU-Parlaments in Brüssel ausgestellt [DE], Flanderninfo, 12.09.2022