Sculptures from Ukrainian artist Maria Kulikovska's exhibition "My Body Is a Battlefield. Copenhagen" were destroyed in Denmark on 22 December, according to Natalia Popovych, director of the Ukrainian House in Denmark, and Spilne Art gallery.
The attack occurred in broad daylight and was captured on surveillance cameras. Among the destroyed works were two figures of pregnant women and one memorial figure made of flowers.
The exhibition opened on November 18 and was scheduled to run until 26 December. According to Popovych, the display showcased the memory of war, vulnerability, and resilience of Ukrainian women.
"We perceive the destruction of these works not only as irreparable damage to art, but as an attack on the stories, dignity, and meanings embodied by our artist's sculptures," Popovych said. She added that the Ukrainian House is in contact with Danish police and providing full support for their investigation.
Kulikovska revealed this was not the first time her work had been targeted. In 2014, her sculptures were shot by militants at the Izolyatsia Center for Contemporary Art. Following her performance "254" at the Hermitage, she was detained and threatened with forced psychiatric commitment, Popovych noted.
"What happened in Copenhagen follows the same logic: the destruction of art as a form of political pressure, an attack on a defenseless body in a state of hope, and violence without accountability," the Ukrainian House quoted Kulikovska as saying. "My works did not resist. The heads and bellies were deliberately broken. This is not vandalism. This is systematic violence that repeats itself."
The artist described the three destroyed sculptures as among the last works of her previous life, adding that their destruction "marks the beginning of mourning—and a decisive turn toward a more radical artistic language."
