The founder of the Belarus Free Theatre Natallia Kaliada and curator of art projects Daniella Kaliada attended one of New York’s major cultural events, Icons of Culture. They were personally invited by Michael Bloomberg.
At the event, they discussed with Michael Bloomberg the theatre’s work in London and its collaboration with the Serpentine Gallery. In 2020, the gallery hosted the theatre’s action EVAlution, created in response to the arrest of presidential candidate Viktar Babaryka. More than five years later, Babaryka and his son Eduard remain imprisoned.
The Serpentine Gallery has supported the Free Theatre and its campaigns for Belarusian freedom for many years. Among the theatre’s supporters are Joanna Lumley, Tom Stoppard, Kevin Spacey, and Michael Sheen.
In 2011, Stoppard organized a charity evening in New York in support of the theatre and read a letter from Michael Douglas, who for the first time spoke about his Belarusian roots. At Icons of Culture, Natallia and Daniella once again met Douglas and discussed opportunities for cooperation in the name of peace in Belarus and Ukraine.
During the evening, Diane von Fürstenberg shared the story of her family, who fled from the Nazis. Daniella Kaliada compared her story to that of thousands of Belarusians forced to leave their homeland because of repression, stressing that emigrants continue to build new lives and believe in the future of a free Belarus.
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Icons of Culture is an annual gala festival organized by the Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) in New York. The format of the event includes a series of conversations, interviews, and public appearances featuring cultural leaders from the worlds of art, fashion, music, sports, and more. Icons of Culture honors those shaping the cultural landscape while connecting them with new audiences. For international participants, it offers a chance to join a network of influential figures, expand dialogue, and present their work on a global stage.
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Michael Bloomberg is an American entrepreneur, politician, and philanthropist, and one of the most influential public figures in the United States. Bloomberg served three terms as mayor of New York City (from 2002 to 2013). Today he is among the richest people in the world, with an estimated fortune of more than 90 billion dollars. Bloomberg is also known as a major patron of cultural initiatives.