Art Installation “Pulsating Pain”

“Pulsating Pain” is an attempt to capture not merely the fact of destruction, but a state—that moment when the world comes to a standstill. Here, light serves as a tool of memorialization: it neither embellishes nor softens—it highlights the gaping wounds, the deformed surfaces, and the traces of the impact. From the outside, the train car is enveloped in a cold, jagged, almost moonlike light—detached, lifeless. Inside, however, a different atmosphere emerges—warm, with a red hue, slowly pulsating. Special lighting highlights elements that preserve the history of the tragedy.

On January 27, 2026, Train No. 103 from Chop to Barvinkove was attacked by Russian drones: two drones exploded near the train, and one in front of the locomotive. Thanks to the quick reaction of the train operators, the train was stopped and a collision with the drone was avoided. One drone struck Car No. 5, where 18 passengers were traveling. Six people were killed, and two were injured. About 300 people were rescued.

The installation serves as a reminder to leaders of the free world who travel to Kyiv on Ukrzaliznytsia trains of the ongoing attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, 1,029 railway workers have been killed, and the enemy has carried out 4,774 strikes on railway infrastructure and rolling stock. The railway is shelled daily—but it does not stop and continues to repair the damaged cars. “Pulsating Pain” is about this resilience.