When metal preserves traces of war: three sculptures by Mykhailo Reva from "My Home" series installed in Odesa
Photo source: Facebook / Mykhailo Reva
On Birzhova Square near the Odesa City Council building, three sculptures made from explosion-mangled metal are on temporary display. Sculptor Mykhailo Reva began the "My Home" series in 2022, following the start of the full-scale war.
According to Rubryka, Mykhailo Reva reported on Facebook that works from this collection had previously been exhibited in Berlin and Paris, and that residents can now view them in his hometown.
"Works from this collection have already been presented in Berlin and Paris. Today they resonate in my hometown," Reva wrote on social media.
Photo source: Facebook / Mykhailo Reva
Photo source: Facebook / Mykhailo Reva
He explained that he created the sculptures from metal mangled by explosions. The author preserved deformations, holes, and other traces of destruction in the material, incorporating them into his artistic concept. Every damage point, the artist says, recalls violence directed against human life and home.
"These sculptures are created from the traces of a crime—metal mangled by an explosion. Thousands of small shrapnel pieces pierced it, tore it apart, leaving holes and wounds. Every deformation preserves a trace of violence directed against a person, their life, and their home," Reva noted.
Photo source: Facebook / Mykhailo Reva
For the sculptor, home is not merely a physical space, but also loved ones, memory, a sense of security, and the ability to be oneself. War destroys not only the walls of houses but also this inner space, leaving emptiness where life once existed.
"In these works, the image of a door is preserved—a threshold through which a person returns home. Now the mangled metal frames are empty," the artist wrote.
Reva deliberately leaves the damage on the material, turning it into testimony of what was experienced and an element of memory.
Photo source: Facebook / Mykhailo Reva
Photo source: Facebook / Mykhailo Reva
"I preserve the wounds of this material, turning the traces of a crime into testimony and memory. It is important to me that behind the broken form, the viewer feels the person against whom this destructive force was directed," the sculptor stated.
The title of the series "My Home" reflects each individual's personal experience.
Photo source: Facebook / Mykhailo Reva
"'My Home' sounds in the first person. Everyone who utters these words becomes part of the work. Here in Odesa, personal story merges with the history of the city and country—with our shared right to home, to return, to life," Mykhailo Reva wrote.
Photo source: Facebook / Mykhailo Reva
Photo source: Facebook / Mykhailo Reva
Background
Mykhailo Reva is an Honored Artist of Ukraine, a sculptor, and an artist in architectural-decorative plastic arts. He authored several works that became part of Odesa's urban landscape.
The artist's first work in the city was the bas-relief "Four Corners of the World," created for Ernst Nevidomyi's monumental sculpture "The Golden Child," which decorates the space near the Odesa Sea Port.
One of Reva's most famous works became "Angel of Mercy," installed near the children's rehabilitation center. Thanks to this sculpture, people began calling the building the "House with the Angel."
Among the sculptor's other works in Odesa are:
- "Fountain" near Vorontsov Palace
- "House of the Sun" on Langeron Beach
- "Beginning of Beginnings" in Greek Park
It should be noted that Odesa sculptor Mykhailo Reva, together with the founders of the Italian eyewear brand Il Barberia, previously began work on the "Epiphany" art project, creating it from spent bullet casings.
When metal preserves traces of war: three sculptures by Mykhailo Reva from "My Home" series installed in Odesa
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