PARIS (AP) 鈥 From within the debris of Russia鈥檚 war, Ukraine鈥檚 most famous sculptor was compelled to make a dark artistic pivot the day his own country house was ravaged by a Russian strike.
鈥淚t happened by accident, it happened when a missile came into our house, our dacha 鈥 and my neighbors gathered the debris from the missile,鈥 Mikhail Reva said, via a translator. 鈥淎nd the idea came to my mind to make a metaphor of those debris.鈥
, the Odesa native has not rested in transforming over two tons of war debris 鈥 spiked Kalashnikov cartridges, bullets and arresting crumpled shells 鈥 into art that expresses his homeland鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 also an effort to highlight important voices in the war which has seen .
鈥淚n any long war you can get complacent, and art has the power to transcend, to make you stop and make you remember it鈥檚 about individuals,鈥 said Jean Manes, the charg茅 d'affaires for the U.S. Mission to UNESCO. 鈥淚t has the ability to make you see it again, see it with fresh eyes.鈥
Compelled to transform the incomprehensible destruction into something meaningful, Reva created 2023鈥檚 鈥淭he Flower of Death,鈥 utilizing rocket fragments from the actual strike on his house.
鈥淎s an artist, it was quite challenging for me when I learned about the attack on the dacha to understand how I can translate the pain in my artistic method. It was the big question,鈥 he said.
Reva was famous long before his art took a darker turn. His famously whimsical sculptures have been seen by millions and in prominent squares and beaches in Odesa, Kyiv and beyond. However, the relentless conflict has compelled his artwork to narrate a more sinister tale 鈥 one of endurance and remembrance amid the atrocities of the conflict.
鈥淭he Memory of the Crucified,鈥 stands out in the collection, its form a cross composed of nails recovered from churches obliterated by Russian attacks. This piece, along with 鈥淎ggressor,鈥 a boldly sexualized sculpture featuring a missile provocatively positioned, captures the profound essence of defiance against aggression.
Meanwhile, a gargantuan Russian doll, subtitled 鈥淔rom Russia With Love鈥 and adorned with 1,000 bullet cartridges as spikes, embodies the irony of violence.
"I see (the materials) as something that humanity has created to take somebody鈥檚 life ... I wanted to show that I can make something beautiful from something that was made to kill," he added.
Reva, with a touch of humor, noted, 鈥淎ll of these pieces are from Russia with love.鈥
There are plans to display the sculptures to the public in the city halls of Paris' 3rd and 15th districts later this month.
