A 29-year sculptor from The Netherlands has donated his sculpture ‘Protection of Freedom’ to the Taras Shevchenko University in Kyiv as a symbol of support for the Ukrainian people.
That’s according to the Dutch Embassy press service, Ukrinform reports.
On Thursday June 26, the sculpture “Protection of Freedom” was inaugurated in the main hall of the library at the Taras Shevchenko University. The Vice-Rector of the university, the Dutch Ambassador Alle Dorhout, and the sculptor, Gijs Groeneveld, attended the ceremony and shared some words on this special artistic project.
When the Russian invasion of Ukraine started in 2022, Gijs Groeneveld, a Dutch sculptor, decided to respond through the means of art. For three years he worked on a sculpture, a mother protecting her child, that carries the title ‘Protection of Freedom’. It measures 2,25 meters and was entirely made by hand from a solid tree trunk
“I hope that the Ukrainian people will feel supported in their battle for freedom,” says Gijs. “We are all one, despite the long distance across the European continent.”
Gijs Groeneveld took the decision to donate the sculpture to the Taras Shevchenko University in Kyiv, where it was placed in the central hall of the library.
“It will hopefully inspire the young students in their journey to fight for a free and flowering Ukrainian society,” says Gijs. The sculpture was transported from the Netherlands. This week, Gijs Groeneveld travelled by plane and night-train to personally install the sculpture at the university.
As Ukrinform reported general, Metropolitan Opera General Manager Peter Gelb in an interview with Ukrinform said Russia had always made art and culture political, using past achievements as a symbol of their cultural might.
Photos by Yuri Bochan
Source: Dutch sculptor presents unique piece to Taras Shevchenko University in Kyiv
