June 11, 2010
Premier Unveils Holodomor Portrait at Legislative Building
– – –Manitoba Artist's Painting Commemorates Ukrainian Holocaust
Joined by local survivors of the Holodomor, Premier Greg Selinger today unveiled today a permanent installation of a work of art depicting the plight of millions of Ukrainians.
“This moving portrait represents Holodomor, the Ukrainian Holocaust, a dark period in human history,” said Selinger. “Created by Ukrainian-Canadian artist, Orysia Sinitowich-Gorski, Holodomor‑Genocide #2 depicts past tragedy but also offers hope that such inhumanity will never be repeated.”
An acrylic on canvas work, the painting commemorates the Holodomor Years of 1932 to 33 in the Ukraine when millions of people died of starvation through the actions of the Joseph Stalin regime. The painting was originally purchased by Manitoba for the provincial art collection in 2008 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Ukrainian Holomodor-Holocaust.
“Ms. Sinitowich-Gorski has given us a stirring reminder of why we must always learn from the past,” said Selinger. “Her choice of a young child as the central figure in the painting symbolizes the vulnerability of the human condition and the promise of a better future.”
Sinitowich-Gorski is a third generation Ukrainian-Canadian who studied with Winnipeg artists and teachers including Nikola Bjeljac and the late Taras Korol. Winnipeg is home to a large Ukrainian community, some of who are Holodomor survivors who attended today’s ceremony.
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