Sculptural composition "Šalom Utyan" (Peace for Utena)
The sculptural composition "Šalom Utyan" (Peace for Utena) was created in 2023 by architect Arūnas Želvys and heritage interpreter Karolina Želvė (studio “Heritage Speaks”). The artistic accent of rusted metal speaks not only of the harmony, communication and cooperation between Lithuanians and Jews that prevailed in Utena before World War II, but also of the tragedy of the Holocaust itself. The figure of a Jewish resident of Utena has been cut through, as if to symbolise the fact that the entire Jewish community in Utena has been wiped out and no longer exists.
The work uses a Yiddish poem by Avraham Chait who lived in Utena, and a translation of the poem into Lithuanian by Yiddish literature researcher, translator and educator Goda Volbikė.
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