The exhibition will be on display in Kyiv until 30 June. In March and April, it was on show at the National History Museum of the Republic of Belarus in Minsk.
During the preparation process, the director of the Kyiv History Museum, Larisa Bulavina, visited Riga last December. The Kyiv History Museum is dedicated to the history of the Ukrainian capital. Its collection of around 250 000 objects is comprised of artefacts dating back to the 5th and 6th centuries discovered during archaeological excavations, as well as objects donated by the city's inhabitants. None of these, however, feature amber, so it is with great pleasure that Kyiv is hosting the “Amber – Jewel of the Baltic Sea” exhibition.
Larisa Bulavina found the exhibition very interesting and highlighted its unusual design created by Ģirts Boronovskis. It accentuates amber as a jewel that has played a significant role in the life of Latvians since ancient times and has become a symbol and a sign of identification.
From left to right: Ģirts Boronovskis, LNHM artist; Irina Zeibārte, LNHM deputy director; Larisa Bulavina, Director of the Kyiv History Museum. Photo: EU2015.LV
Through the archaeological and ethnographic amber collections held by the Latvian National History Museum, the “Amber – Jewel of the Baltic Sea” exhibition recounts the story of amber: how it spread from the 'amber crossroads' of the Baltic Sea area to international Amber Roads and the different cultures involved, and how the legacy of amber manufacturing and amber's role in mythology and folklore evolved. Traditional and modern amber jewellery will also be on display, along with unprocessed amber deposits found in Latvia.
The exhibition was created as part of the Riga 2014 European Capital of Culture programme by the Latvian National History Museum (LNHM). The curators of the exhibition are Irina Zeibārte, LNHM deputy director for scientific work, and the artist Ģirts Boronovskis.
The exhibition forms part of the Latvian EU Council Presidency cultural programme which has contemporaneity, uniqueness and excellence as its core values. Cultural events have taken place in 11 countries worldwide, including Belarus and Ukraine which are part of the EU's Eastern Partnership. The cultural programme in Ukraine also features concerts by the Latvian Radio Choir and the Sinfonietta Riga and Kremerata Baltica chamber orchestras, as well as book donations to several libraries.
