Dec. 22, 2025, 9:55 a.m.
(PHOTO: Intent/Nata Chernetska)
In the midst of the blackout caused by the Russian attack, German pilot, artist, volunteer and author of the art book Silent Heroes, Guido Heissig, came to Odesa. Through illustrations and texts, he tells Europeans the stories of ordinary Ukrainians who witnessed the war.
At his own expense, Guido decided to install bird sculptures on the bars in courtyards as a symbol of the dead Ukrainians whose souls continue to live. This idea resonated with his friend, Odesa-based photographer Oleksandr Yakymchuk, who currently works with archives at the Odesa National Scientific Library. He suggested that Kyrylo Maksymenko, a sculptor from Odesa and a member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who is currently on leave, join the project.
We met with all the project participants in the courtyard of the Museum of Western and Oriental Art, where preparations for the first installations are underway. They are scheduled to open after the New Year.
It should be noted that the sculptures with birds are planned to be installed in the courtyards of the Odesa Museum of Western and Oriental Art, the ArtOdesa gallery in the Summer Theater of the City Garden, the Odesa National Scientific Library, and the Migdal Jewish Community Center.
Guido Heissig: "I do not perceive death as an end. For me, it is a new beginning. That is why birds appear in unexpected places. A person can just see them and feel something of their own."
Guido Heissig installs sculptures. PHOTO: Intent/Nata Chernetska
In the midst of the blackout caused by the Russian attack, German pilot, artist, volunteer and author of the art book Silent Heroes Guido Heissig came to Odesa. Through illustrations and texts, he tells Europeans the stories of ordinary Ukrainians who witnessed the war.
At his own expense, Guido decided to install bird sculptures on the bars in courtyards as a symbol of the dead Ukrainians whose souls continue to live. This idea resonated with his friend, Odesa-based photographer Oleksandr Yakymchuk, who currently works with archives at the Odesa National Scientific Library. He suggested that Kyrylo Maksymenko, a sculptor from Odesa and a member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who is currently on leave, join the project.
We met with all the project participants in the courtyard of the Museum of Western and Oriental Art, where preparations for the first installations are underway. They are scheduled to open after the New Year.
It should be noted that the sculptures with birds are planned to be installed in the courtyards of the Odesa Museum of Western and Oriental Art, the ArtOdesa gallery in the Summer Theater of the City Garden, the Odesa National Scientific Library, and the Migdal Jewish Community Center.
Guido Heissig: "I do not perceive death as an end. For me, it is a new beginning. That is why birds appear in unexpected places. A person can just see them and feel something of their own."
Guido Heissig. PHOTO: Intent/Nata Chernetska
How did your perception of the world collapse after the outbreak of full-scale war? And what has replaced it?
War shows you things that you thought were impossible before.
For me, the biggest shock was how the war destroys families. I always thought that family was something very strong, stronger than any politics. But I have met families where one person supports the "Russian world" and the other does not. Parents and children find themselves on different sides, and it turns into a real nightmare.
I have seen this more than once. And every time it was a huge shock for me. I used to think that this simply could not happen. It turned out that it can.
You have published a book called Silent Heroes, which contains stories of Ukrainians who are living through the war. Were there any stories that were not included in the project?
PHOTO: Intent/Nata Chernetska
Yes, of course. There were many such stories. Not because they were less important or less powerful - on the contrary. It's just that the book has its limits. It is impossible to include everything. But every meeting, every conversation stays with me and continues to live on in other forms, in other projects.
Can you tell us about one story that particularly touched you?
The process of collecting stories is also a very important and challenging part of the project.
For example, I have a friend in Kyiv. I knew his story well and invited him to become part of the book. He said: "Yes, of course," but then nothing happened. I wrote to him again, asking if he had forgotten about me.
And at some point he honestly said: "I don't know how to start writing." This turned out to be a big problem for many people. Because it hurts. It hurts the heart. You need to structure everything again, like a report, and for a person who has experienced trauma, it is very difficult.
Sometimes I helped the heroes by making a kind of checklist with questions for them. I said: "Just look at the questions and try to answer them." For some of them, it really helped.
With this friend, I eventually decided not to push. I told myself: if it doesn't work out, it means it's necessary. But then he wrote to me himself. He said that he was very afraid because when he started writing, all his feelings came back, as if he was going through a trauma again.
I immediately told him, "Please don't do it if it's too hard for you." But he decided to write anyway. And he did. It was a very powerful story, one of my favorites. And then he told me: "You know, it helped me myself."
In a way, writing became therapy for him.
What do you particularly feel in Ukraine?
It seems to me that people here experience time differently-as a present moment, as something very valuable. I see real solidarity here: between people, in families, between friends. It is not formal, not in words.
Photo provided by the interviewee
In Germany, in America, everything is much simpler, easier: "That's it, bye, ciao, goodbye." But here I feel close, involved. This is very important to me. I like this. I feel good in Ukraine. I feel at home here, and it's great.
You do yoga. How does it help you - in your life, in your work, in your communication with people?
Yoga is extremely important to me. First of all, breathing. Yoga and meditation help you calm down, to be here and now.
When you meditate, you cease to be the center of the world. You are just a part of nature. It's hard to explain in words, but you feel connected to the trees, to the sun, to the space around you.
I don't want to define myself only through my profession. I don't want to say: "I'm a pilot," because then I have to play a role. I am a person who does yoga, who loves surfing, movement, life.
Aren't you afraid of shelling, missiles, air raids? Many people are surprised that you are coming back to Ukraine.
No, I'm not afraid. I am often asked: "Why?".
I explain it like this: I am a pilot. When you fly, for example, across the ocean, you also realize the risks. Fear is possible, but you don't live in it all the time. You accept the situation and do your job.
Of course, I think about the danger. I always have this understanding. But fear does not guide my decisions.
Please tell us about the project with the birds. What do they mean to you?
PHOTO: Intent/Nata Chernetska
I got these birds about fifteen years ago, in Freiburg. Back then, there were very few of them, I made thirty or forty. But over the past year, many people have started asking if they can buy them. I realized that the birds continue to live their own lives-independently of me.
Guido Heisig. PHOTO: Intent/Nata Chernetska
One day I had a thought: what if I tried to do more? I still had some digital vector files. I found a person who had helped me before, contacted him and asked if he could work with this machine again. He said: "Yes, of course".
About a month ago, he called me and told me that the birds were ready. I expected forty, but it turned out to be about two hundred or even three hundred. It came as a surprise to me.
Guido Heisig. PHOTO: Intent/Nata Chernetska
At first, some of the birds stayed in Germany, in Freiburg. But then a new idea came up - Odesa. Birds, Odesa, and urban space suddenly came together.
For me, a bird is an image of the soul. The soul of people. A quiet sign of presence. It is important to me that it is not loud, pretentious or intrusive. I am not close to the heavy memorial forms associated with death.
I do not perceive death as an end. For me, it is a new beginning. That's why birds appear in unexpected places. A person can just see them and feel something of their own.
PHOTO: Intent/Nata Chernetska
And then, if you want, you can find out what kind of project it is, read about it, and understand the meaning. For me, it's important that everything starts with silence and personal experience.
When did you realize you couldn't do it alone?
Yakymchuk, Heissig, and Maksymenko (from left to right). PHOTO: Intent/Nata Chernetska
"I started doing everything myself: telling people about the project, asking for help, but later I realized that people were afraid to get involved. They don't want to ask what exactly I'm doing and why. And I realized that this is also a problem-the fear of being involved.
Maksymenko helps Heisig. PHOTO: Intent/Nata Chernetska
And then I met Sasha Yakymchuk. It immediately clicked in his head, and then everything spun very quickly. He introduced me to the sculptor Kyrylo Maksymenko. It was amazing.
Are you thinking about a project with birds in other cities?
Yes, of course. I know Kyiv and Lviv well. I've done presentations of my book in Kyiv, Lviv, and other places.
The idea of birds can live in other cities. It is quite possible.
PHOTO: Intent/Nata Chernetska
But I don't have a clear plan. I never work according to a plan. I take a step and then feel if there is a resonance. Now I feel that there is a resonance. People like this idea. Maybe Kyiv will accept it too.
Heissig and Maksymenko.<span><span><span><span><span><span> </span></span></span></span></span></span>PHOTO: Intent/Nata Chernetska
Birds can become a symbol. People see a bird and think about the soul. About those who were and who remain with us. It's important not to forget that people are still here, next to us.
What would you like to say to Ukrainians? What are the most important words for you?
Ukrainians are incredible people. Very warm, but also incredibly strong and brave.
That is why I am here. I love these people. I am close to their philosophy, their desire for freedom, their solidarity. These are very humanistic values.
Today, unfortunately, I see how humanistic ideas are being destroyed in the world. This war is not only between Ukraine and Russia. It is a war for freedom of thought, for the right to be yourself.
Ukrainians are now fighting not only for their country. It is much more than that. And I feel it very keenly. Perhaps yoga helps me to feel energy, excitement, and confidence.
Heissig and Maksymenko. PHOTO: Intent/Nata Chernetska
Tell us how you joined this project, how did you find out about it?
I was approached by Sashko Yakymchuk when I was still in Kyiv. He told me that an artist, sculptor, and pilot from Germany, Hido Heissig, had come to Odesa and was working on a metal project. He asked if I could help.
Maksymenko and Heissig (from left to right). PHOTO: Intent/Nata Chernetska
I immediately said, "Of course, but I didn't know when I could come. Guido didn't have a clear understanding of the dates either. As a result, it coincided that I took a vacation, and Guido was able to come again.
We met with Kateryna Pimenova, the art director of the ArtOdesa gallery, and she gave us an old lattice that had been thrown into the trash. After that, we went to the scrap yard and bought balusters, these cast-iron parts from old stairs. We took everything for sandblasting and continued working in the workshop.
PHOTO: Intent/Nata Chernetska
Then there was the shelling of Odesa, and the power went out, so the process slowed down a bit. We rented a generator and continued working with the generator.
What is your understanding of the project idea?
This is an author's project. It's a guy who is very worried about our country, about the people who live here, and he is sincerely sorry for those who died. These birds are the souls of the dead people.
Kyrylo Maksymenko.<span><span><span><span><span><span> </span></span></span></span></span></span>PHOTO: Intent/Nata Chernetska
I simply could not refuse. When a person comes to Ukraine who wants to show us to the world, to Europe, as we really are, it touches me. Moreover, I myself have worked abroad, made sculptures abroad, and I know how important it is when you are accepted with an open mind. So everything coincided very well.
I know that you are engaged in the search for the bodies of the dead. How does this resonate with what you are doing here in this project?
Kyrylo Maksymenko. PHOTO: Intent/Nata Chernetska
The most important thing is creativity, sculpture gives you the opportunity to be distracted from everything you see and hear from time to time. This is important for the preservation of the psyche.
And secondly, since I deal with this almost every day, I know for sure that the human soul does not disappear. It lives as long as it lives in our hearts.
Maksymenko and Heissig.<span><span><span><span><span><span> </span></span></span></span></span></span>PHOTO: Intent/Nata Chernetska
The Gido project is about this: as long as we see these birds, as long as we can touch them, these souls are alive.
We thought for a long time about how to process the metal. In the end, we decided not to process it at all. The base, the lattice and the bird itself are made of different metals - they will rust differently. But later, in years, they should become the same color.
In my understanding, this is similar to the way the soul dissolves in us. But even when everything becomes the same color, a person will be able to come up and touch this bird with their hands.
Maksymenko, Yakymchuk, and Heissig. PHOTO: Intent/Nata Chernetska
How did you meet Guido?
I received a call from an Odesa volunteer named Nika Viknianskyi, who told me that an interesting person had come to the city with a project and thoughts about photography. He suggested we meet, and I agreed.
We met, and Guido told me about himself: he is an active pilot, an Airbus captain. He showed me his book Silent Heroes, a collection of drawings and texts that he had begun to create since the outbreak of full-scale war in February. In his free time, Guido paints watercolor portraits of ordinary people and simultaneously records their stories. When he opened the book to me, I saw people from Odesa, Kyiv, and Dnipro. He met them on buses, trains, among his friends - he had his own circle of friends in Ukraine. According to Guido, his friends saw it as an important story about who we are: about humanity, inner experiences, and an attempt to capture a real moment in life.
Why was it close to you?
I had a strong sense of resonance. Exactly three years ago, I did a similar project myself, What's in the Heart? I worked with Polaroid - instant photography. I asked people the question "What's in your heart?", took a picture of them, and asked them to write the answer with a marker right on the picture - here and now.
This project was on display at ArtOdesa. The visitors themselves noticed that the word most often repeated was "love." People wrote: home, family, Odesa, Ukraine, children, sun.
For me, the main thing in this project was to show and feel who we are. At the moment when a person realizes that their answer remains, it ceases to be just creativity - it becomes something more.
Were there any images that particularly stuck in your mind?
Photo provided by the interviewee
Yes, two cards.
The first is a woman breastfeeding in May 2022. When asked "What is in your heart?" she wrote: "The war is over". Later, another girl wrote: "And there will be spring". When I saw these two inscriptions next to each other, it almost seemed like a prophecy. The troubles will go away, and there will be a new awakening.
What struck you about Hido's project about birds?
Maksymenko, Yakymchuk, and Heissig. PHOTO: Intent/Nata Chernetska
According to Hido, the birds are the souls of murdered people. Not as a literal metaphor, but as a feeling: souls do not disappear, they transform.
He showed sketches of small sculptures of birds that can be seen on fences, in yards. He talked about simple things: a leaf, sparrows, moments in which life is.
I was struck by this care for memory-for civilians, children, and those who were taken by the war. I wanted to help realize this here in Odesa.
Heissig and Yakymchuk (from left to right). PHOTO: Intent/Nata Chernetska
I immediately thought of Kyrylo Maksymenko, a talented sculptor. He is in the military, but when he heard about the project, he immediately said he wanted to participate.
Who else did you manage to connect?
We met with Yulia Maksymiuk of the Migdal Jewish Center, the director of the Museum of Western and Eastern Art, Ihor Poronik, the director of the Scientific Library, Iryna Biriukova, and the art director of the ArtOdesa gallery, Kateryna Pimenova, whose courtyards will be used for the installations.
An interesting moment. During the meeting with Kateryna, her mother called and said that the old fence was being thrown away in the yard. This happened during the conversation and became a moment of insight.
It was a piece of fencing with a hundred-year history. We decided to make it a part of the sculpture, where the modern Hido birds will appear.
The next idea also came out of the blue. When I introduced Guido to Maksymenko, we went to a metal scrapyard and looked for old elements. We found a hundred-year-old cast iron balusters. We cleaned them, processed them, and a new idea was born. To create metal paintings: balusters, birds, sheets of metal. Minimalism, Bauhaus. A symbol of the intertwining culture of Odesa.
What's next?
Preparation, technical issues, installation. It might be in February, but it's hard to plan anything now.
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