On 4 December 2025, the Sybir Memorial Museum hosted a special meeting devoted to the art of exile as part of the Art of Remembrance project. The event brought together history, memory and contemporary artistic practice, with Finnish artist Juhana Moisander as the special guest during his residency in Białystok, Poland.
The meeting explored a fundamental question at the heart of the project: could art be created in the extreme conditions of exile in Siberia? Faced with hunger, cold, forced labor and separation from home, did people still feel a need for beauty, expression and hope?
Participants were given rare access to original works created by exiles, including drawings and sketches normally kept in museum storerooms. Made from the most modest and improvised materials such as scraps of paper, fabric or charcoal, these works testify to art as an act of survival. For many exiles, creating images and recording their experiences became a way to preserve dignity, memory and inner freedom in an inhuman land.
As the current Art of Remembrance resident artist, Juhana Moisander shared insights into his creative process at the Museum. His residency focuses on engaging with local history, archival materials, personal testimonies and the exhibition space itself.
“When I heard about the Art of Remembrance project, I became interested in it and discovered very strong links between the history of the Finns and the Poles,” Moisander explained. “After my last visit to Białystok in the summer, I began to study books and archival materials to learn more about this local Polish history. Visiting the museum again, I listened to an excerpt from the memoirs of a little boy who remembered the sound of a train travelling along the tracks from his journey. In his memory, it turned into the word mother, mother, mother… The word “mother” in Finnish means “journey”. This amazing connection became one of the inspirations for my work”, said the artist.”
The meeting also included audio recordings of Sybiraks’ testimonies, including the account referenced by the artist. Together, these voices from the past and contemporary artistic reflection formed a powerful reminder of human resilience. The event became a moving reflection on sensitivity, memory and the enduring power of art as a source of hope, even in the harshest conditions.
Artwork update: Juhana Moisander is nearing the completion of his art residency and is currently finalizing a new work inspired by audio testimonies preserved in the Sybir Memorial Museum archives. His artwork will be presented alongside works by the other three participating artists in a travelling exhibition across Europe, launching in March 2026. Further details about the exhibition and its opening events will be announced soon.
