VITEBSK, 28 April (BelTA) – The Tree of Life monument was unveiled near the 5th Regiment memorial complex in Vitebsk in memory of the victims of the genocide of the Belarusian people during the Great Patriotic War, BelTA has learned.
The monument is relatively small in comparison to other works by Ivan Kazak and rises to a height of approximately 3 meters. It is filled with a sense of sorrow. The bronze sculpture seems frozen in time, with hands, the imprint of a back of a palm, forever trapped in mud and clay, hardened by the horrors of inhuman acts. Three “bullet” holes serve as a reminder of every third Belarusian who lost their life during the war. A quatrain in Belarusian written on the pedestal honors the victims among the innocent population of suffering Belarus.
"As a child, I was fascinated by military themes, constantly asking my relatives and friends about the war. One of my most vivid memories is my grandmother's story about how she saw the fascists burying people alive. They tried to escape from under the ground. This image of hands reaching out from the graves has became dominant for my work, the Tree of Life monument," the sculptor explained.
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