“Knights of Light” exhibit launches in Paris, showcasing works by artists from Ukraine’s Army

The second part of the exhibition includes 13 paintings by Ukrainian artist, historian and ethnographer Vodymyr Patyk, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The light of art has the power to unite even in the darkest times. The Knights of Light are our warriors. So this exhibition is not only about art. It is about strength of spirit, struggle, and indomitability. It’s about those who are currently on the front lines and have not lost touch with creativity, which is their way of telling the world about Ukraine,” Ukraine’s Ambassador to France Vadym Omelchenko said at the ening.

Read also: Ukrainian intelligence chief hands captured Russian combat knives to war museum

Svitlana Fomenko, the cultural center chief, said none of the artists defending the country could attend the ening ceremony but these sdiers recorded a video message directly from their bases.

“It is important for me to talk about friends, about Pele with a capital letter, who defended or are now defending our and your freedom. I dedicated my triptych to my friend Vovchyk. He did not walk back when the country called for help. He perished like a real man, up in arms. Vovchyk was cremated in Odesa. At that moment, I felt an existential void. Remember and be grateful to heroes, forever,” Bohdan Sokur said in his address.

The artist, whose creative output already included three personal exhibitions, returned to his homeland after Russia’s full-scale invasion to join the ranks of the Armed Forces.

The exhibition also features works by Danylo Skliarov, who began painting in 2020, while in active military service.

Read also: As many as 145 artists, 95 journalists killed in Ukraine since full-scale war starts

Roman Khrushch, a painter and monumental artist, worked his way up from an infantryman to a squad commander and chief sergeant at an assault platoon as part of the Azov-Kyiv Special erations Forces unit. In June 2023, he was seriously wounded. After rehabilitation, he rejoined his unit as an instructor.

“Remember in which house your roots are. Your house is your place of origin. A place where you can always go back to gain strength. A place that the enemy seeks to destroy to cut off your roots and ties with your Homeland. But if you fight for your home, you will save it and, in the end, either alive or dead, you will go back Home,” Khrushshch wrote in the caption to his work.

Another artist whose works are presented in Paris is Vital Haidar. Since the full-scale invasion, he has been fighting in the ranks of the 71st Separate Jaeger Brigade of the Airborne Assault Tros, never stping to create artworks.

The ening of the “Knights of Light” saw representatives from international organizations and the diplomatic corps, including from Malta, Georgia, Germany, and Sweden. Government officials and French patrons, such as the French Rotary Club, also attended the event.

The works by Vodymyr Patyk, a Lviv-based artist and Shevchenko Prize laureate, were brought to Paris by his daughter Oksana. The Patyk Museum, which recently ened in Lviv, is the only non-private museum that was launched during a full-scale war. The Honorary Consul of France in Lviv, Pavlo Yarema, helped transport the artist's valuable works.

The Knights of Light exhibition will later go on a tour across France’s regions.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, a museum of Ukrainian artist and Shevchenko Prize laureate Vodymyr Patyk has ened in Lviv.