16 May 2026
(PHOTO: Natalia Mikhailenko)
The exhibition of paintings "Windows of the Old City", which includes real window frames, some of which were torn out of buildings during Russian shelling, opened at the Odesa Museum of Western and Eastern Art.
According to Oleksandra Stepova, a museum employee, this is the fourth exhibition of the artist Iryna Vyshnevska, who signs her name as Ira Vish.
"She has her own style that is unlike any other. She has original ideas. What I have noticed for myself is that each work has a story in which you immerse yourself and become a part of this story, as if you yourself are experiencing what is written in the picture," noted Oleksandra Stepova.
Among the materials for her paintings are windows, and Oleksandra Stepova considers windows to be a very symbolic theme.
"Who among us hasn't said the word 'windows' today without pain? Broken windows, missing windows. When the full-scale war started, windows were taped over and sometimes covered with something tight. Windows are like eyes-someone looks through them, they look at someone, at what is reflected around them. And in our museum, there seem to be no windows at the moment, they have been covered with building slabs. But we are alive, we are experiencing strong emotions, and thanks to this exhibition, we can experience them again," said the museum worker.
The exhibition features 12 paintings - old window frames that were no longer needed and were given a new life by the paintings. Although initially, according to Iryna Vyshnevska, only four paintings were planned. However, after the Kyiv exhibition, the exhibition gradually grew to six, and eventually to 12.
"The windows of the old city are fictional situations, but they could have been real, I did not observe them, but someone else could have observed them anyway," the artist noted.
In addition to paintings, the artist tries to create dresses for herself and for exhibition curators, so that all curators could wear the artist's "works" at exhibitions.
Кирило Бойко