Matviy Vaisberg spoke about Kherson's stolen heritage

Artist Matviy Vaisberg spoke about how artists are shaping a new perspective on the war and Ukrainian identity. He also commented on the project “Kherson: Not Stolen”and shared his own experience of creating art in the midst of catastrophe.

In a candid interview with Intent, the artist shared his thoughts on the vulnerability of a museum’s permanence, noting that the realization of art’s defenselessness against physical theft and removal by truck had come to him as early as the beginning of the full-scale invasion. He noted that this process began with the annexation of Crimea and the seizure of the Simferopol Museum. At the time, there was too little discussion of this, but today, works stolen from the Kherson Art Museum are already on display at the “Tavrida” Museum in Simferopol.

The exhibition “Kherson: Not Stolen” was an initiative by several activists who invited artists to create tributes and interpretations of the lost treasures. The project remains an ongoing effort and is constantly expanding its reach. Following successful shows in Lviv, Kyiv, Toronto, and Odesa, the exhibition is scheduled to be presented in Vinnytsia, and possibly in Norway as well.

Matviy Vaisberg also noted that, in his opinion, art—and painting in particular—is the most tangible message to the future.

“A painting—and I’m an artist who works primarily with paintings, creating on a flat surface—is an obvious message to the future. Moreover, it has temporal, time-related properties. It is created in the present. And as soon as you finish it, it becomes part of the past, yet its direction points toward the future. Because, most likely, it will outlive its creator,” the artist noted.

The artist spoke about his experience depicting pivotal events in the country’s history. He shared his journey of resistance and creativity,from the Maidan barricades to the tragedy in Bucha.

According to the artist, war also sharpens our understanding of beauty. It can be dramatic and tragic, as in Picasso’s “Guernica” or in Goya’s paintings.

On July 11, the Odessa Museum of Western and Eastern Art opened the exhibition “Kherson: NOT/Stolen”—a project dedicated to the collection that the occupiers removed from the Kherson Regional Art Museum. The exhibition’s curator, Olena Balaba, explained that the idea originated in 2024 as a study of exactly what the Russians had stolen from the Kherson Museum.

Юлія Калабайда

Matvey Vaisberg spoke about Kherson’s stolen heritage and the power of art

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