A Salt-Dedicated Installation in Drohobych

Yuriy Cherniavskiy, a Lviv-born artist, embedded a salt-dedicated art installation in the Drohobych City’s Rynok Square.

A report by the Ukrinform and the Press Office of Drohobych City Council.

“The idea is to hermetically seal the symbol of the City of Drohobych, in order to both preserve it for the generations to come and also to draw attention to the fragility of this symbol and the possibility of its ultimate evanescence. The City of Drohobych practically grew out of salt. There is a threat, though, that salt production will ultimately slow down and fade away. The name of the art installation and the form of its presentation shall serve as a warning: the reserves of salt may ultimately cease to be replenished. The citizens of Drohobych should therefore care about their salt producing enterprise which is the crown jewel of the city and its powerful magnet”, – says Yuriy Cherniavskiy, the author of the project.

The artist dedicated his installation to the oldest continuously operating salt-producing enterprise in Europe: the Saltworks of Drohobych. The salt is the symbol of the city, its wealth, and its brand name.

The idea for the installation emerged as part of the “Magical Salt Cities” project, which included organizing an art residency. Five participants were given the opportunity to live in Drohobych for a week, exploring the city’s culture and history while developing ideas for the creation of an art object related to the city and its salt. As a result of the selection process, the project “In Case of Emergency, Break Glass,” authored by Chernyavskyi, was chosen as the winner.

The main concept of the installation is to create a symbolic reserve of salt in the central square of the city. A fragment of the square has been transformed into an underground museum display, similar to those often found in areas where archaeological excavations have taken place, revealing the historical layers of the land. The art object is filled with salt heaps, designed in the shape of the local souvenir packaging. Additionally, salt is depicted in this very form on the coat of arms of Drohobych.