"White on White” is a name of exhibition in the first Ukrainian gender museum organized in Kharkov.
"Gender museum deals with long history of women. This is the museum of women’s and gender movement,” tells Tatyana Isayeva, the chief of Kharkov regional gender resource centre and the initiator of gender museum. "We want to draw attention of the general public to the women’s and gender problems, promote cultural relations between Ukraine and other countries, consolidate the international women’s movement. In late 2008 our project was supported by Ukrainian Women’s Fund and in 2009 the Global Women’s Fund offered their support to us. The main task of the museum is to collect different exhibits illustrating the process of gender development. We want to show that gender problems are those of an entire society. Notwithstanding the positive trend, both men and women are still under gender discrimination. Thus, I think, gender movement, being the movement for equal rights of both genders, is a logical and naturally determined process in Ukraine and in the whole world.”

"Ukrainian history is the history of men,” continues Tatyana Isayeva. "Woman was always interpreted as a mother, a daughter, a wife or an associate of a famous man. This caused the names of prominent women stood in the shade of the history and remained unknown to the public. We want to eliminate this informational gap. Ukrainian women were patriots of their country, they put their backs into better future, sometimes even sacrificed their lives for the sake of the country. "White spot” of women’s history causes social stereotypes to arise. That results into the gender discrimination. We strive to break those stereotypes.”

The full collection of the museum includes over 350 exhibits from Ukraine, Italy, USA, Sweden, Poland, Georgia, Lithuania, Vietnam, Germany, Korea and Finland. They are the documents, books, toys, discs, personal things of gender theorists and practitioners, souvenirs, etc. Only a small part of them was exhibited at "White on White”.

Several exhibits were provided by Yulia Timoshenko, the best-known woman of Ukrainian politics. She presented a picture, a toy, a fan-made pair of orange boots and a scarf symbolizing the Orange Revolution of 2004.

The Iron Frau Angela Merkel refused to present any of her belongings to the museum, having sent a polite letter of refusal. The letter of Federal Chancellor of Germany was read in public at the exhibition opening ceremony.

This year Kharkov gender museum is invited to participate in the Third International Congress of Women’s Museums to be held in Argentina.

Unfortunately, the Ukrainian gender museum still has no permanent location and is operational as a mobile exhibition. But on the other hand, very soon everyone will have an opportunity to visit it virtually.

You may also take part in the formation of museum’s collection. Please, contact the administration via e-mail t_isaeva@gendermuseum.com  or by phone +38-050-403-13-25.

 

Editor’s note:

It is important to distinguish between notions "sex” and "gender”. The former describes the biological differences and the letter defines the social ones. Protection of gender rights is protection of personal right of an individual to choose any comfortable social role including the right of boys to cry, girls to fight, men to bring up children and women to rule a state.