Ukraine's most famous sculptor turns war debris into art, expressing the inexpressible
Ukrainian sculptor Mikhail Reva has transformed the trauma of Russia’s invasion into a profound artistic statement, turning two tons of war debris into sculptures that express the deep suffering of his homeland
PARIS (AP) — From within the debris of Russia’s war, Ukraine’s most famous sculptor was compelled to make a dark artistic pivot the day his own country house was ravaged by a Russian strike.
“It happened by accident, it happened when a missile came into our house, our dacha … and my neighbors gathered the debris from the missile,” Mikhail Reva said, via a translator. “And the idea came to my mind to make a metaphor of those debris.”
Two years into the invasion, the Odesa-native has not rested in transforming over two tons of war debris — spiked Kalashnikov cartridges, bullets and arresting crumpled shells — into art that expresses his homeland’s suffering. The often monumental sculptures serve as challenging and emotional reminders of the vital role of art to express the inexpressible.
The wrought iron works, some with delicate wings, others religious and ironic, are on display in the U.S. Embassy’s storied Hotel de Talleyrand in Paris, as part of an initiative by the United States to reengage with the Paris-based U.N. cultural agency, UNESCO, which it rejoined last year after a years-long hiatus. It’s also an effort to highlight important voices in the war which has seen a loss of life on an unimaginable scale.
