The opening of the Museum of Photography, unique for Lviv, was a logical continuation of the fruitful cooperation between the Ukrainian Photographic Society in the person of Roman Metelskyi and the Scientific and Technical Library of the University. According to the organizers, this is only the first exposition, which will certainly expand and be supplemented with original exhibits.
It is known that there should be silence in the reading room of the library. But it does not concern the opening of the Lviv Photo Museum. The well-known photographers in Ukraine, as well as interested Lvivites visited this extraordinary event. Culture is a saving grace in our troubled times, so probably a record number of fans of photographic art gathered on this day.
«I am very pleased to see people who helped us – they brought their equipment, photos, gave advice, delivered lectures and introduced photography, brought and continue to bring their exhibitions. While not having our own premises, we managed to hold photo exhibitions almost all over Ukraine, and even today, in wartime, an exhibition of a photographer from Zaporizhzhia is exhibited in this hall. We are trying to unite the whole country through photography, because photography is something we all know a little about, it is something we love», said Roman Metelskyi, Lviv connoisseur, collector and photographer, one of the founders of the Lviv Photo Museum, opening the event.
A team of professionals in the field of photography and film art: Sofia Lehin, academic secretary of the Mykhailo Hrushevskyi Museum; Ihor Tkachyk, collector and amateur film enthusiast; Ihor Harmash, head of one of the oldest film clubs in Ukraine «Artprostir», worked on the first exhibition. But today they all are primarily activists of the Lviv Photo Museum project. This event would not have been possible without the support of Lviv Polytechnic, in particular the Scientific and Technical Library, so Olena Kharheliia, deputy director of the Scientific and Technical Library, congratulated the museum team.
«I am honoured to greet you on this landmark event not only for Lviv, but for Lviv Polytechnic as well. It was here at the beginning of the 20th centur y, in 1920–1921, that the discipline «Photography» appeared, and until 1939 it was taught by Henryk Mikolasch and Witold Romer. After the Second World War, their work was continued by Yulian Dorosh. I can say with confidence that our alma mater, Lviv Polytechnic, is the basis for the development of modern photographic art. I would like to especially congratulate Roman Metelskyi. For me, he is an example of how you can confidently go towards your dream – with small steps, but purposefully. I wish your team, your dreams and your projects will be realized in the future», said Olena Kharheliia.
This unique event was of interest not only to Lviv residents, but also to IDPs living in Lviv Polytechnic dormitories. Roman Metelskyi and his team have been organizing various events for internally displaced people since April, and now they expressed their gratitude for such support, noting that they came here because of Mr. Metelskyi and his colleagues who are doing incredible things.
