In celebration of International Mother Language Day. One-work exhibition by Dzmitry Aleynik

On 21 February, the whole world celebrates International Mother Language Day – an annual observance promoting the preservation of national languages. After all, one’s native language is not just an indicator of one’s belonging to a particular state, but is also one of the key components of a nation’s historical memory. International Mother Language Day was established by the 30th UNESCO General Conference on 17 November, 1999.

In celebration of International Mother Language Day, the painting “The Land of White Storks” (1982) by Dzmitry Aleynik (1929–2003), Honoured Artist of the BSSR, will be exhibited at the National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus from February 21 to March 6, 2025.

Dzmitry Aleynik is a Belarusian painter who was professionally educated first at the Minsk Art College, and later at the Belarusian Theatre and Art Institute, where he studied under famous Belarusian painters Vital Tsvirka and Valiantsin Volkau. As an artist, Dzmitry Aleynik was especially attracted by the beauty of Belarusian nature, repeatedly reflecting it in his paintings. His landscapes, so lovingly painted, are saturated with bright colours, revealing the riches of the painter’s native land.

Dzmitry Aleynik’s “The Land of White Storks” is testament to the artist’s affection for his homeland, its culture and traditions. It is something of an invitation to artistically dwell on our heritage, the Belarusian language, as a link between generations.

Exhibition curator: Anastasia Miankouskaya, junior researcher at the Department of Belarusian Art of the 20th–21st century of the National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus.