Art Arsenal director Ostrovska-Lyuta proposed as new culture minister

The New Voice of Ukraine
·2 min read
Volodymyr and Olena Zelenskyy and director of the Art Arsenal Olesya Ostrovska-Lyuta
Volodymyr and Olena Zelenskyy and director of the Art Arsenal Olesya Ostrovska-Lyuta

In a bid to replace Oleksandr Tkachenko as the head of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, MP Oleksiy Honcharenko has put forward the candidacy of Olesya Ostrovska-Lyuta, the current director of the Art Arsenal.

Tkachenko tendered his resignation as Minister of Culture on July 21, citing a misunderstanding about the significance of culture during the ongoing war.

Read also: Culture minister Tkachenko submits resignation

Notably, he stepped down prior to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy requesting Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to consider a replacement for the position.

Olesya Ostrovska-Lyuta has an extensive background in cultural management, having served as the General Director of the National Cultural and Art Museum Complex “Art Arsenal” since July 2016. In addition, she previously held the position of first Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine in 2014.

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Her experience also includes managing projects and programs for the Charitable Foundation Development of Ukraine, working as an assistant to the director of the Charitable Foundation Center for Contemporary Art, and as an office manager for the International Renaissance Foundation.

Oleksandr Tkachenko had been at the helm of the Ministry of Culture since June 2020. His resignation had been a subject of public demand, with a petition amassing over 25,000 signatures calling for his departure. However, the prime minister has maintained that there are no valid grounds for such a step.

Criticism against Tkachenko peaked recently over his support for allocating substantial funds from the state budget for film and TV productions, including “Sanatorium Nezabudka” and “SMT Inhulets.” His stance involved the state potentially investing around 400 million hryvnias ($10.8 million) into the film industry during a time of war.

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