The project by Ukrainian artist Zhanna Kadyrova, part of IHME Helsinki 2025, will open to the public on Ukraine’s Independence Day — 24 August 2025. This was reported by the project's media partner, the Ukrainian Association in Finland. The video installation The Forest will be exhibited in the historic former steam power plant of the Helsinki Energy Museum and will be available for viewing for six weeks — until 2 October 2025.
The video installation depicts an endless young forest swaying in the wind. The Russian destruction of the Kakhovka Dam on 6 June 2023 wiped out a vast reservoir spanning 2,155 square kilometres, causing irreparable damage to the surrounding environment, towns, and villages. At the same time, invaluable cultural heritage in the region was lost. Yet within a year, a striking four-metre-high forest of willows and poplars has sprung up where the reservoir once was.
In her work, the artist reflects on the consequences of both ‘progress’ and armed conflict for the vital systems that underpin life itself. She explores the past of the Kakhovka Dam region and the vicious cycle of violence tied to it. The piece invites reflection on our relationship with the environment — both in ecological and socio-economic terms of post-war recovery — while offering a sense of hope and a moment to pause amidst war and environmental crisis.
IHME Helsinki is a contemporary art organisation that brings together art, science, and climate awareness. Zhanna Kadyrova’s IHME Helsinki 2025 art project will be presented not only in Helsinki, but also in Ukraine — in an adapted format for local audiences.