Mariupol Wartime Diary to Feature at 2026 Venice Film Festival in Ukrainian Immersive Installation

Ukrainian artist Sophia Bulgakova’s immersive installation Spomyny (Memories), which will be presented at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, has been expanded to include an audio version of the wartime diary of Mariupol resident Kateryna Savenko.

This was reported by Suspilne Culture on August 25.

Savenko began keeping the diary on the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, documenting daily life in Mariupol as the city endured a devastating Russian siege. She continued writing until the final days of her life.

According to the Museum of Civilian Voices of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, the diary provides a rare firsthand perspective on civilian life during the siege of Mariupol, moving beyond casualty statistics, battlefield reports, and political accounts.

By preserving both the realities of survival and Savenko’s personal reflections, written without knowing whether they would ever be read, the diary has become an important historical record and personal testimony of the siege.

“Integrating the diary into Spomyny allows Kateryna’s voice to continue resonating internationally. Her personal testimony becomes part of the memory of what Ukrainians experienced during the war,” Natalia Yemchenko, chair of the foundation’s supervisory board, told the outlet.

The diary has now become another voice within Bulgakova’s installation, which combines personal and collective testimonies gathered during Russia’s full-scale war.

“By opening one channel at a time and layering the sounds over one another through the pipes, viewers immerse themselves in a nonlinear narrative woven from my intimate experiences... Kateryna Savenko’s voice, recorded in her diary from Mariupol, now joins this polyphony,” Bulgakova said, according to Suspilne Culture.

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Life in Ukraine

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About Spomyny

Spomyny is the only Ukrainian project selected for this year’s Venice Immersive program at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. The installation will be presented in the Best of Experiences section from September 2 through September 12, 2026.

Bulgakova created the work from personal and collective accounts gathered during the full-scale war. The physical installation consists of meters of insulation pipes through which visitors can listen to individual audio fragments, including conversations with family members and recordings from news reports and social media.

By accessing and combining the different audio channels, visitors gradually construct a nonlinear narrative reflecting individual experiences and the broader collective memory of Ukrainians living through Russia’s war.

The presentation of Spomyny comes as Ukrainian artists continue to gain recognition at major international cultural events. Ukrainian photographers Denys Didkivskyi and Tetyana Horbatiuk have also been recognized by the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards 2026.

Didkivskyi was shortlisted in the Portrait and Emerging Photographer of the Year categories, while Horbatiuk was shortlisted in the Portrait category for her photograph of the Dnipro-based band Fuji Moodji.

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