A Russian strike on a warehouse on the outskirts of Kyiv led to the destruction of the installation 'New Integrity' by Ukrainian artist Nikita Kadan. Kadan himself announced this on his Instagram, as reported by RBC-Ukraine. According to him, the enemy hit the site where the work was stored at the end of July, and since then the project team has repeatedly tried to reach the warehouse to save any possible remnants of the piece, but access to it remained restricted due to the instability of the structure.
What the installation 'New Integrity' was
'New Integrity' is an exhibition about loss, recovery, and the changing perception of the body image. Kadan's work reflects on the experience of injury, amputation, prosthetics, and rehabilitation. The installation was accompanied by a soundscape by Clemens Pula, created based on the testimonies of four veterans interviewed by sociologist Sofiia Lavreniuk. The project was realized on commission from Ribbon International, and in April it was presented at a cultural pavilion in Kyiv.
Chronology: from presentation to destruction
According to the artist, the strike on the warehouse was carried out at the end of July. It was from this moment, according to his data, that the project team began trying to access the site and assess the scale of the loss. As Kadan emphasizes, access to the warehouse remained restricted due to the instability of the structure, which made it impossible to safely carry out rescue work.
Rescue impossible: access to the ruins is restricted
'Judging by the state of the ruins themselves, there is no reason to believe that any part of the work could have survived,' Kadan wrote. Thus, the artist effectively states the complete loss of the installation, although, in his own words, a final inventory of the remnants is still impossible due to the threat posed by the destroyed structure.
Not the only loss: Ai Weiwei's work was also stored in the warehouse
It was previously reported that the same warehouse stored a work by the Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei, 'Three Perfectly Proportioned Spheres and Camouflage Uniforms Painted White.' It was reported that this piece was also destroyed as a result of the Russian strike. Thus, a single site became the place of loss of several significant artworks.
Context: new attacks on Kyiv
The loss of the installation comes against the backdrop of ongoing strikes on the capital. On the morning of September 10, an enemy drone fell in the Holosiivskyi district; there were no casualties or damage. Earlier, air defense forces repelled a new Russian night attack on September 10. The incident with the warehouse on the outskirts of the city fits into the broader context of systematic shelling that causes damage not only to infrastructure but also to cultural heritage.
