Europe Day celebration at H’ART Museum

Today, I had the pleasure of joining the Europe Day celebration at H’ART Museum in Amsterdam and attending the session “Culture spaces as civic spaces – and why do we need them?”

With contributions by Annabelle Birnie (H’ART Museum), Sophie Leferink (SPACE), Charmaine de Heij (Contested Desires) and Rabiaâ Benlahbib (Creative Court/Kunstfort Vijfhuizen), the discussion brought together diverse voices and experiences from across cultural institutions in the Netherlands.

It was meaningful to hear such different views, shaped by very different institutions and practices. As we continue working on establishing Kastanje Dutch-Ukrainian Cultural Center, a physical cultural centre for Ukrainian art and culture in the Netherlands, this conversation reminded me why it matters so much.

I came away inspired not to slow down. It is essential to highlight Ukrainian culture as part of the European cultural landscape, especially now. This is how a diverse, inclusive, and resilient European society can look like.