Ukrainian issue, Belarusian national symbols not approved by Minsk censors: Photos of unwanted pictures

The opening of an exhibition dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the association ‘Pahonia’ was overshadowed by a scandal. Artist Henadz Drazdou has published photos of the paintings which, according to the city authorities, were too controversial to appear at the the event in Minsk.

Everything that could remind of a white-red-white flag and the conflict in Ukraine had to be taken away, the artist told belsat.eu.

White-red-white symbols and coat of arms ‘Pahonia’ [Pursuit] are commonly associated with the Belarusian opposition. In 1995 they were  replaced by those reminiscent of Soviet symbolism.

The exhibition opened on November, 24 at the Palace of Arts in Minsk. But several pictures by Belarusian artists Ales Pushkin, Henadz Drazdou and Viktar Markavets were banned from exposing.

Under his painting ‘In Memory of Belarusians who died for freedom of Ukraine. 2015’ artist Ales Pushkin placed a a shell splinter brought from Ukraine’s Donetsk region.

The order to remove the ‘politically unreliable’ pictures from the ehxibition was given by Leanid Khobatau, a representative of the Belarusian Гnion of Artists, and Natallia Barsukova, a deputy director of the gallery.