On March 29, 2026, at 2:00 PM, the exhibition space “KHERSON: UN/STOLEN. Studies and Homages” at the War Museum will host a public discussion titled “Art of the Ukrainian South: Preventing Erasure.”
russian aggression targets not only territories but also Ukraine’s cultural heritage. The looting of artworks and entire museum collections is part of a broader kremlin policy aimed at the destruction of the Ukrainian nation and its identity. Specifically, from the Oleksii Shovkunenko Kherson Regional Art Museum, russians transported approximately 11,000 paintings, graphic works, and icons to Crimea. This crime stands as one of the documented cases of the illegal appropriation of Ukrainian cultural heritage.
The discussion will focus on:
- The unique characteristics and traditions of art from Southern Ukraine;
- Documented facts regarding the aggressor’s illegal appropriation of Ukrainian cultural assets;
- The reimagining and continuation of this heritage in contemporary art.
Kherson is alive; its art continues to exist and evolve.
Participants:
Matvii Vaisberh – Visionary behind the exhibition “KHERSON: UN/STOLEN”;
Yuliia Manukian – Journalist and art project curator (Kherson–Odesa);
Alina Dotsenko – Director of the Oleksii Shovkunenko Kherson Regional Art Museum;
Anton Lohov – Author of the study of Volodymyr Chupryna’s painting “Monastery” (1992), War Museum;
Moderator: Roman Kabachiy – Head of Sector at the War Museum
