The Violence Project

Peace Letters to Ukraine











Peace Letters to Ukraine

Starting on 1 March 2022,
The New Museum of Networked Art – is realising during The Russian War against Ukraine (open end) in an exchange between virtual and physical space the audio-visual art project – Peace Letters to Ukraine – as an internationally networked action between participating artists, curators and cultural institutions in solidarity with Ukraine. Initiated by the Cologne based media artist and curator Agricola de Cologne – The Peace Letters Project – would not only like to honour the collaboration with Ukrainian artists, curators and cultural institutions since 2008, but contribute to Peace and defend the endangered freedom – freedom of the word, expression and movement as the fundament of free art and culture.

The World is in turmoil, the human civilisation is in turmoil, culture is in turmoil, the artists are in turmoil – violence and war in Ukraine and elsewhere, the war of the political systems and ideologies, genocide, racism, intolerance, climate change, pandemic, expulsion, refugees, globalization – and all simultaneously! The global crisis!
And what function might art have in all that mess? What message may transport these Peace Letters?
In any case much more than just promising support and solidarity and by no means the delivery of lethal weapons, but rather summoning the positive creativity when we, that’s the world community, are staying together brainstorming, acting in respect and responsibility for each other. Art as a tool for sensitizing and encouragement and – Peace.
More than 250 selected artists – coming from different continents and cultural backgrounds – show and offer their positive creativity via their audio-visual creations.

The Peace Letters to Ukraine Project is initiated by the Cologne based media artist and chief-curator Wilfried Agricola de Cologne for The New Museum of Networked Art as a networked artistic action in reaction on the war against the Ukraine in solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

The Peace Letters Project is realised between the networked participating artists, curators and cultural institutions in an exchange between virtual and physical space, a physical venue is always simultaneously connected with the virtual space of Alphabet Art Centre, operating from Cologne. The Peace Letters are sent from Cologne to a physical venue which is sending the Peace Letters to Ukraine by screening the (for each venue individually prepared) programs.

Press Release

Press Release 11 May 2022 – Thessaloniki Municipal Art Gallery

Press Release – 3 May 2022

Peace Letters to Ukraine
Audio-visual art project – during the Russian-Ukrainian War

@ The 7 Memorials for Humanity

Starting on 1 March 2022,
The New Museum of Networked Art
is realising during The Russian War against Ukraine (open end) in the framework of The 7 Memorials for Humanity in an exchange between virtual and physical space the audio-visual art project – Peace Letters to Ukraine – as an internationally networked action between participating artists, curators and cultural institutions in solidarity with Ukraine. Initiated by the Cologne based media artist and curator Agricola de Cologne and co-curated by Yarina Butkovska (Lviv/Ukraine) – The Peace Letters Project – would not only like to honour the collaboration with Ukrainian artists, curators and cultural institutions since 2008, but contribute to Peace and defend the endangered freedom – freedom of the word, expression and movement as the fundament of free art and culture.

Turmoil & Error

The World is in turmoil, the human civilisation is in turmoil, culture is in turmoil, the artists are in turmoil – violence and war in Ukraine and elsewhere, the war of the political systems and ideologies, genocide, racism, intolerance, climate change, pandemic, expulsion, refugees, globalization – and all simultaneously! The global crisis!

And what function might art have in all that mess? What message may transport these Peace Letters?

In any case much more than just promising support and solidarity, rather summoning the positive creativity when we, that’s the world community, are staying together brainstorming, acting in respect and responsibility for each other. Art as a tool for sensitizing and encouragement and – Peace. The selected artists – coming from different continents and cultural backgrounds – show and offer their positive creativity via their audio-visual creations.

The Peace Letters to Ukraine Project is initiated by the Cologne based media artist and chief-curator Wilfried Agricola de Cologne for The New Museum of Networked Art as a networked artistic action in reaction on the war against the Ukraine in solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

The Peace Letters Project is realised between the networked participating artists, curators and cultural institutions in an exchange between virtual and physical space, a physical venue is always simultaneously connected with the virtual space of Alphabet Art Centre, operating from Cologne. The Peace Letters are sent from Cologne to a physical venue which is sending the Peace Letters to Ukraine by screening the (for each venue individually prepared) programs.

More than 250 international video/media artists in solidarity

By honouring previous collaborations with Ukrainian artists, curators and cultural institutions since 2008, Peace Letters 1 are exclusively dedicated to the more than 25 featured Ukrainian artists working with moving images, while Peace Letters 2 include more than 70 international artists’ videos in solidarity with Ukraine based on an ongoing call as long as the Russian War against Ukraine is lasting.
Peace Letters 3 is featuring the historical screening programs as they were presented in Kiev and Kharkiv 2018, while Peace Letters 4 is featuring another historical screening programs presented in Kiev and Kharkiv in 2011 and Lviv 2008.
Peace Letters 5 is featuring the screening programs 12 curators were preparing 2017and 2018 for The W:OW Project – We Are One World – international curators for Peace and Freedom!
Peace Letters 6-9 are dedicated to the first three venues in Rockville (MA(USA), Los Angeles (CA/USA) and Thessaloniki (Greece) and the videos (Peace Letters) they are presenting/sending. More venues and more Peace Letters to come.

In May/July 2022 – three physical venues are scheduled

Peace Letters 8 @
VisArts Center Rockville (MD/USA) – 07-08 May 2022

Peace Letters 6 @
Thessaloniki Municipal Art Gallery (Greece) – 18-20 May 2022

Peace Letters 7 @
Torrance Art Museum Los Angeles (CA/USA) – 04-25 June 2022

Peace Letters 9 @
Rhizome DC Washington (DC/USA) – 07 July 2022

Peaceltters 13 @
IZDOC – Izmir Documentary Film Festival (Turkey)- 20-21-22 January 2023- France Culture Instıtute Movie Theatre

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Peace Letters to Ukraine
http://alphabet.nmartproject.net/the-ukraine-darkroom/

The New Museum of Networked Art
http://nmartproject.net

Alphabet Art Centre
http://alphabet.nmartproject.net

The 7 Memorials for Humanity
http://7mfh.a-virtual-memorial.org

In Solidarity – for Peace, Freedom and Humanity!

Wilfried Agricola de Cologne
Chief-curator of Peace Letters to Ukraine Project
artvideokoeln (at) gmail.com

Credits

The “Peace Letters to Ukraine Project” @ The Ukraine Darkroom
is a collaboration / networked action between

THe New Museum od Networked Art,
Wilfried Agricola de Cologne (Cologne/Germany) as chief curator, Yarina Butkovska (Lviv/Ukraine) as co-curator, the associated curators – Antonio Alvarado (Spain) – Georgi Krastev (Bulgaria) – Rainer Krause (Chile) – Paulo B. Menezes (Portugal) – Gioula Papadopulou (Greece) – Simo Saarikoski (Finland) – Erick Tapia (Mexico) – Maurizio Marco Tozzi (Italy) – Tahir Un (Turkey), the curated/selected/participating artists, and – the networked/collaborating/participating cultural institutions

in an exchange between virtual & physical space
@ Alphabet Art Centre and the networked physical venues.

All texts, images and videos © by the artists/authors/curators or owners.

The Online/Offline Project – “Peace Letters to Ukraine Project”, its concept, design, work out & realisation © 2022 by Agricola de Cologne/The New Museum of Networked Art.

Venues
Alphabet Art Centre Cologne (D) – during the Russian /Ukrainian War, starting on 1 March 2022
VisArts Center Rockville (MD/USA) – 07-08 May 2022
Thessaloniki Municipal Art Gallery (Greece) 18-20 May 2022
Torrance Art Museum Los Angeles (CA/USA) – 04-25 June 2022
Rhizome DC Washington DC (USA) – 07 July 2022
IZDOC – Izmir Documentary Film Festival (Turkey)- 20-21-22 January 2023- France Culture Instıtute Movie Theatre



Cinema U Zero
Peace Letters to Ukraine Zero is explaining some basic conceptual circumstances of solidarity for Ukraine in Germany and elsewhere – in order to avoid misunderstandings. During the many months lasting war the degree of solidarity for Ukraine is/was continuously shrinking – while people were facing – whereever they live on the globe – they are affected by Putin’s war in shape of the increase of inflation and the prices for food, energy etc. The war of the resources in times of climate change/aridity anywhere. Typically, people blame the victims and not the war criminals.

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Cinema U-1
Peace Letters to Ukraine 1
Violence and war as destructve matter are standing against culture, art and creativity. The Russia-Ukraine war is barbarian und destructive trying to erase solidarity and humanity. But not only the Ukrainians and their friends and supporters are standing up against the violation of international law and the humanitarian desaster, but all civilized people, cultural workers and artists.
This video program including, supporting and encouraging Ukrainian artists (25) working with moving images started on 1 March 2022 representing one way how art can serve as a tool to show and confirm solidarity with the Ukrainian people, by encouraging – art and artists to continue in the Ukraine and internationally networked leve – Curated by Yarina Butkovska (Lviv) – Yuriy Kruchak, Oksana Chepelyk, Kateryna Babkina, Borys Pasichniy and Julia Pavlovska , Oleg Ushchenko, Oleksiy Khoroshko, Mykola Kondratenko , MaxFlood, Svitlana Oleshko & Mykhaylo Barbara, Viacheslav Poliakov
– curated by Wilfried Agricola de Cologne (Cologne) – Oleg Kharch , Alexander Isaenko , Lidia Starodubtseva , Nataliia Mashtaler , Yuriy Kruchak, Yulia Kostereva , Kostia Vozniuk , Vera Abakumova , Oleg Chorny & Gena Khamruk, Alexander Yeltsin , Anna Kryvenko , Oleksiy Khoroshko, Lena Nosenko, Tatiana Nikolaevna, Yaroslav Yanovsky, Oksana Chepelyk

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Cinema U-2
Peace Letters to Ukraine 2
Violence and war as destructve matter are standing against culture, art and creativity. The Russia-Ukraine war is barbarian und destructive trying to erase solidarity and humanity. But not only the Ukrainians and their friends and supporters are standing up against the violation of international law and the humanitarian desaster, but all civilized people, cultural workers and artists.
This international video program starting on 6 March 2022 as a spontaneous artists/curators initiative, representing one way how art can serve as a tool to show and confirm solidarity with the Ukrainian people, is ongoing and continuously expanding by adding new artists submissions – 98 Participants – 100 Peace Letters – 35 countries + more

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Cinema U-3
Peace Letters to Ukraine 3
The 3rd part is featuring 8 solidarity screening programs documenting the networked collaboration with Ukrainian institutions 2015-2018 in Kiev anf Kharkiv. Cultural and artistic networking is representing one way how art can serve as a tool to show and confirm solidarity with the Ukrainian people not just on times of war – but especially in times of war – the Russia-Ukraine war. Artists presented on Kiev and Kharkiv – – Przemek WÄ™grzyn (Poland), Enoh Lienemann (Germany), Francesca Lolli (Italy) , Fran Orallo (Spain) , Caro Estrada (Austria), Shahar Marcus (Israel) , Lisa Birke (Canada) , Kappala Venkata Sivakumar (India), Gabriel Hosovsky (Slovakia), Francesca Fini (Italy) , Anupong Charoenmitr (Thailand), Luca Nanini (Italy), Yunting Tsai (Taiwan), Shelley Jordon (USA) , Gali Blay (Israel), Elke H. Markopoulos / Rainer Ludwigs (Germany) , Pim Zwier (Netherlands), Emma Zukovic (Macedonia/Ireland) , Panagiotis Kalos (Greece) , Anni Kaltsidou (Greece) , Agricola de Cologne (Germany) , Ulf Kristiansen (Norway) , Paolo Bandinu (Italy), Shahar Marcus (Israel), Harold Charre (France), Paolo Bonfiglio (Italy) , Baptist Coelho (India) , Diego de los Campos Orefice (Uruguay) , Arthur Woods (Switzerland), Christian Philip Berger (Austria) , Reza Golchin (Iran) , claRa apaRicio yoldi (Spain), Yao Cong (China) , Eija Temisevä (Finland), Francesca Leoni (Italy)m Louise Coetzer (RSA) , Maurizio Sanhueza (Peru) , Cody Healey-Conelly (USA), Francesca Lolli (Italy) , Laura & Sira Cabrera (Spain) , Nouran Sherif & Muhammad Taymour (Egypt) , Susanne Wiegner (Germany) , Alexander Callsen (Germany) , Katya Yakubov (Usbekistan/USA), Sarah Whelan (USA) , Katalina Padilla Cerro (Colombia) , Olga Guse (Russia/Germany) , Henry Gwiazda (USA), Coalfather Industries (USA), Marcantonio Lunardi (Italy)

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Cinema U-4
Peace Letters to Ukraine 4
The 4th part is featuring 8 solidarity screening programs documenting the networked collaboration with Ukrainian artists, curators and institutions 2008-2011 in Lviv, Kiev anf Kharkiv. Cultural and artistic networking is representing one way how art can serve as a tool to show and confirm solidarity with the Ukrainian people not just in times of war, the Russia-Ukraine war. Participating artists – Mohammed Harb (Palestine), Dellani Lima – Joacélio Batista (Brazil), Confusion Group (Spain) , Neringa Naujokaite (Lithuania) , Roland Wegerer (Austria)
Pablo Fernandez-Pujol (Spain) , Marianne & Daniel O’Reilly (UK), Denise Hood (USA) , Irina Gabiani (Georgia) , Jack Brandtman (Australia), Doug Williams (USA) , Richard Bolland (South Africa), Rahel Maher (Australia), Larissa Sansour (Palestine) , Unnur A. Einarsdottir (Iceland), Ina Loitzl (Austria) , Letitia El Halli Obeid (Argentina) , Margarida Paiva (Portugal), Sonja VUK (Croatia), Clare Ultimo (USA) , Nancy Atakan (Turkey), Isabelle Schneider (France), Ji Hyun Kim (South Korea), Yu Cheng Yu (Taiwan) , Liu Wei (China) , Nhieu Do (Vietnam) , Ling-Yin Chen (Taiwan)
Lili & Honglei (China) , Aiko Okamoto (Japan) , Bijing Zhang (China) , Sreedeep (India) , Yoko Taketani (Japan) , Yoko Fukushima (Japan) , Sai Hua Kuan (Singapore), Henry Gwiazda (USA)
Dario Bardic (Croatia) , Gerald Habarth (USA) , Rami Fischler (Australia) , Nick Fox-Gieg (USA) , Mihai Grecu (Romania) , Alfonso Rodrigo (Spain), Les Riches Douaniers (France) , Ulf Kristinansen (Norway) , Ocusonic aka Paul O Donoghue (Ireland) , Roland Quelven (France) , Barry Morse (USA), Rafael Alcala (Puerto Rico) , Sheldon Brown (USA) , Robby Rackleff (USA) , Agricola de Cologne (Germany) , Laurent Pernot (France), Johanna Reich (Germany), Marita Contreras (Peru), Luis Ascanio (Venezuela) , Julio Orta Villarreal (Mexico) , Nuria Fragoso (Mexico) , Carlos Ruiz-Valarino (Puerto Rico), Christian Bermudez ( Costa Rica) , Juan David Gonzalez Monroy (Colombia) , Alejandra Villasmil (Ecuador) , Henrique Roscoe (Brazil) , Silvia Cacciatori Filloy (Uruguay) , i2off.org+r3nder.net (Argentina), Ane Lan (Norway) , Cynthia Whelan (UK), Sinasi Gunes (Turkey), Boris Sribar (Serbia) , Virginie Foloppe (France) , Renata Gaspar & Marcin Dudek (Poland) , Luc Gut (Switzerland) , Agricola de Cologne (Germany) , Unnur Andrea Einarsdottir (Iceland), Francesca Fini (Italy), Valerie Garlick (USA)m Shahar Marcus (Israel), Oksana Shatalova/Alla Girik (Kazakhstan)

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Cinema U-5
Peace Letters to Ukraine 5
The 5th part – sending the message – We Are One World – by the curators of “The W:OW Project is featuring 13 solidarity screening programs documenting the networked collaboration with Ukrainian artists, curators and institutions 2018-2022. Cultural and artistic networking is representing one way how art can serve as a tool to show and confirm solidarity with the Ukrainian people not just in times of war. The senders/curators – Wilfried Agricola de Cologne (Germany) – Antonio Alvarado (Spain) – Georgi Krastev (Bulgaria) – Rainer Krause (Chile) – Paulo B. Menezes (Portugal) – Gioula Papadopulou (Greece) – Simo Saarikoski (Finland) – Erick Tapia (Mexico) – Maurizio Marco Tozzi (Italy) – Tahir Un (Turkey)

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Cinema U-6
Peace Letters to Ukraine 6
The 6th part – sending the message of the positive creativity – via the specific solidarity screening program “In Turmoil” to be shown in physical space for the 1st time in Thessaloniki/Greece – documenting the globally networked collaboration between artists, curators and institutions. Cultural and artistic networking is representing one way how art can serve as a tool to show and confirm solidarity with the Ukrainian people not just in times of war. The sender/curator – Wilfried Agricola de Cologne (Germany) and his selected artists – Laura & Sira Cabrera Diaz (Spain) – Ian Gibbins (Australia) – Brit Bunkley (New Zealand) – Kokou Ekouagou (Togo) – Carolin Koss (Finland) – Wilfried Agricola de Cologne (Germany) – Ausin Sainz (Spain) – Manon Pichon (France) – Bernhard Hollinger (Austria) – Dimitris Argyriou (Greece) – Vito Alfarano (Italy)

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Cinema U-7
Peace Letters to Ukraine 7
The 7th part – sending the message of the positive creativity – via the specific solidarity screening program ” Turmoil & Error” to be shown in physical space for the 1st time in Los Angeles – documenting the globally networked collaboration between artists, curators and institutions. Cultural and artistic networking is representing one way how art can serve as a tool to show and confirm solidarity with the Ukrainian people not just in times of war. The sender/curator – Wilfried Agricola de Cologne (Germany) and his selected senders/artists – (from Ukraine)Kateryna Babkina, Borys Pasichniy and Julia Pavlovska, Oleg Ushchenko, Olexiy Khoroshko, Mykola Kondratenko, MaxFlood, Svitlana Oleshko & Mykhaylo Barbara, Viacheslav Poliakov, Yuriy Kruchak & Yulia Kostereva, Oksana Chepelyk, Lena Nosenko, Lidia Starodubtseva, Kostia Vozniuk, Vera Abakumova, Oksana Chepelyk, Alexander Isaenko, Nataliia Mashtaler, Oleg Kharch, Oleg Chorny, Alexander Yeltsin, and – Bruno Pavic (Croatia), Frederic Iriarte/Rich Ferguson (France/Sweden), Maria Korporal (Netherlands), Jean-Michel Rolland (France), Claude Cicollela (France), Lisi Prada (Spain), Fran Orallo (Spain), Muriel Paraboni (Brazil) , Wilfried Agricola de Cologne (Germany), Ulf Kristiansen (Norway), Matteo Campulla (Italy) , Beate Hecher /Markus Keim (Austria), Animaenoctis (Italy) , Katina Bitsikas (USA), Laura & Sira Cabrera Diaz (Spain), Ian Gibbins (Australia), Brit Bunkley (New Zealand), Guilherme Bergamini (Brazil), Kokou Ekouagou (Togo), Marek Wasilewski (Poland), Wrik Mead (Canada) , Abhijit Patro (India), Coalfather (USA). Ausin Sainz (Spain), Dimitris Argyriou (Greece), Vito Alfarano (Italy)

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Cinema U-8
Peace Letters to Ukraine 8
The 8th part – sending the message of the positive creativity – via the specific solidarity screening program ” Turmoil & Error” to be shown in physical space for the 1st time in Rockville (MA) – documenting the globally networked collaboration between artists, curators and institutions. Cultural and artistic networking is representing one way how art can serve as a tool to show and confirm solidarity with the Ukrainian people not just in times of war. The sender/curator – Wilfried Agricola de Cologne (Germany) & Yarina Butkovska and their selected senders/artists – (from Ukraine) Kateryna Babkina, Borys Pasichniy and Julia Pavlovska, Oleg Ushchenko, Olexiy Khoroshko, Mykola Kondratenko, MaxFlood, Svitlana Oleshko & Mykhaylo Barbara, Viacheslav Poliakov, Yuriy Kruchak & Yulia Kostereva, Oksana Chepelyk, Lena Nosenko, Lidia Starodubtseva, Kostia Vozniuk, Vera Abakumova, Oksana Chepelyk, Alexander Isaenko, Nataliia Mashtaler, Oleg Kharch, Oleg Chorny, Alexander Yeltsin, and – Shelley Jordon (USA), Dee Hood (USA), Abdoul-Ganiou Dermani (Togo), Francesca Ruth Levi (UK), Jana Schmück & Johannes C. Gerard (NL), Justyna Maluchnik (PL), Hagit Kastel Nachsholi (IL), Marie Magescas (F), Wilfried Agricola de Cologne (D), Albert Merino (ES), Ian Gibbins (Aus), Marcantonio Lunardi (It), Mária Judóvá (CZ), Francesca Lolli (It), Monika K. Adler (UK) , Laura & Sira Cabrera (ES), Yssa Marie Flores (Ph), Bruno Pavic (Cr)

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Cinema U-9
Peace Letters to Ukraine 9 >
The 9th part – sending the message of the positive creativity – via the specific solidarity screening program ” Dark Summer of 2022″ to be shown in physical space for the 1st time in Washington DC @ Rhizome DC (MA) – documenting the globally networked collaboration between artists, curators and institutions. Cultural and artistic networking is representing one way how art can serve as a tool to show and confirm solidarity with the Ukrainian people not just in times of war. The sender/curator – Wilfried Agricola de Cologne (Germany) and the selected senders/artists – Arthur Woods (Switzerland) – Bruno Pavić (Croatia) – Anna Kryvenko (Ukraine) – Silently – Finn Harvor (South Korea) – Ulf Kristiansen (Norway) – Oleksiy Khoroshko (Ukraine) – Isabel Pérez del Pulgar (Spain) – Irina Gabiani (Georgia) – Francesca Lolli (Italy) – Francesca Leoni (Italy) – Johanna Reich (Germany) – Oksana Chepelyk (Ukraine) – Perry Bard & Richard Sullivan (USA) – Abdoul-Ganiou Dermani (Togo) – Maryam Muliaee (Iran/USA) – Cody Healey-Conelly (USA) – Shahar Marcus (Israel) – Oleg Chorny (Ukraine) – David King (Australia) – Harold Charre (France) – Manuela Barile (Portugal) – Agricola de Cologne (Germany)

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Cinema U-10
Peace Letters to Ukraine 10
The 10th part – sending the message of the positive creativity – is bringing via the specific solidarity screening program The 3 Francesca’s – 3 renown Italian performance and video artists, in a common project featuring 10 selected video works by each artist – placed in the program context of “Hall of Fame” @ Alphabet Art Centre as the basis of the solidarity project.

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Cinema U-11
The 11th part – sending the message of the positive creativity – via the specific solidarity screening program action of “Peace Letters Marathon” @ Alphabet Art Centre – starting on 7 July 2022 the exactly 90 days lasting Marathon screenings. The daily changing programs include all videos and artists participating in “Peace Letters 01 – 10”.

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Cinema U-12
The 12th part – is devoted to the marathon arrival in Ukraine, on 1 October 2022, the day of another illegal Russian annexions – Back Home to Hell – the finalization of the 90 days lasting marathon course once around the world – simultaneous arrival in Lviv – Kiev and Kharkiv – these three places stand for all Ukrainian places and their inhabitants.

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Cinema U-13

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Cinema U-14
The 14th part – sending the message of the positive creativity – via the specific solidarity screening program action of “Peace Letters Winter Marathon” @ Alphabet Art Centre – starting on 15 December 2022 the exactly 80 days lasting Marathon screenings. The daily changing programs include all videos and artists participating in “Peace Letters 01 – 13”.

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