NGO “The Voices” (Kyiv, Ukraine) in Collaboration with “Hotel Continental – Art Space in Exile” (Berlin, Germany)
January 25
At the venue “Hotel Continental – Art Space in Exile”, the premiere of the theatrical performance “The FOG. Chronicles of a Victory Yet to Come” took place, marking the culmination of a creative residency of Kyiv artists in Berlin.
Creators of the Idea – Valeria Demchenko, Olga Sobko
Director – Valeria Demchenko
Texts – Nadiya Sukhorukova, Khachatur Vasilian, Valeria Demchenko, Olga Sobko
Cast – People’s Artist of Ukraine Lev Somov, Anastasiia Basha, Ruslan Miroshnychenko, Dmytro Korostylov, Mykyta Marchenko, Yurii Onopriiko, Olga Sobko, Anastasiia Tarkanii, Les Kation
Producer – Olga Sobko
The performance was presented as part of the Goethe-Institut grant program, under the “Artistic Residency” category.
Performance Format:
A multicultural performance with elements of immersive theatre, choreography, and documentary chronicles. The production is staged in the genre of pseudo-documentary, structured as interviews with people who, through immense sacrifices and efforts, managed to survive terrifying events and save their freedom and homeland.
We speak about the near future – as we all hope – a future where our victory has already happened, and the fog of war has dissipated forever. Yet, everyone who has lived through this fog knows the true cost of freedom.
The performance gathered over 100 spectators, despite the venue’s capacity being only 60 seats: people sat on the stairs, stood along the walls – eager not to miss a single word, gesture, or breath of this unique theatrical experience.
Both Ukrainians and Germans attended the event, including representatives of the artistic and cultural community, journalists, activists, and those for whom this subject is deeply personal. The performance was in Ukrainian, with English and German subtitles provided for the international audience.
Director Valeria Demchenko stated:
“The message of this project is that each of us can find our own path to victory, even if that path is clouded by the fog of uncertainty and fear. But we can only emerge from this fog by uniting – together, we can overcome all hardships. We are different, we have different experiences, but we are all bound by one desire – to free our land and build a happy future.”
Producer and actress Olga Sobko added:
“This performance is about memory that cannot be silenced and about people who remained unbroken. We all want to believe that our victory is near. But our task is not only to wait for it but also to document, speak about, feel, and convey the truth through art.”
Additionally, on January 25, as part of the event, an exhibition featuring a selection of paintings from the “Mariupol Unconquered” project was presented.
We are immensely grateful to the Goethe-Institut for their financial support, as Ukraine is experiencing extraordinarily difficult times, and without this assistance, we would not have been able to bring this production to life.
This work was produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union.