Kherson. The Steppe Holds

The exhibition Kherson. The Steppe Holds is the space of resilience, love, loss, cherishing a memory, and the project about the Ukrainian South. It is based on the films Ukrainian Sheriffs, The Editorial Office, and Volcano.

This is a tribute to the Kherson region — the homeland of the exhibition’s authors, Roman Bondarchuk and Darya Averchenko. At the heart of the exhibition are unique archives, video, and photographic materials filmed in the Kherson region by the filmmakers and their crews before the full-scale invasion, some of which are being shown publicly for the first time. These materials have taken on new significance in the wake of the region’s and the country’s profound losses and ongoing challenges.

The three films form the thematic cores of the exhibition, presented in the space of the Old Arsenal: Ukrainian Sheriffs explores the role of local communities and self-governance; The Editorial Office delves into the tension between truth and post-truth in the political landscape of contemporary Ukraine; Volcano is a reflection on returning to oneself and the world amid the dystopian reality of the Ukrainian South. Today, each of Roman and Darya’s films and all the archival materials for them is a space of memory about something that no longer exists or almost does not exist; something that may not return or may return in a completely different form.

The exhibition unfolds across five halls of the Arsenal and also includes a room dedicated to the archival materials of Kherson photojournalist Andriy Matrosov, as well as documentation from the “Ukrainian War Archive”, which records Russian war crimes. The final space of the exhibition invites personal reflection on what has been seen and felt.

“For us, these are the memories of our youth, a testimony to what this land once was, to what we lost because of the Russian invasion, and what we continue to lose. These are places where our relatives and friends chose to stay, despite the war. Places where children’s umbilical cords are buried. The things that matter most, the ones we long to rebuild. And the places we return to every night in our dreams. We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to transform our archives into a cohesive artistic work together with the Mystetskyi Arsenal team”, Darya Averchenko, on her and Roman Bondarchuk’s decision to create the exhibition.

“At this moment in time, it is especially important for Mystetskyi Arsenal to continue engaging with the concepts that matter most to our society. And one of them is the territorial integrity of Ukraine. We invite visitors to reconsider the Kherson region as a space of deep personal and collective meaning. We believe that this documentary and mystical journey carries a special significance today,” says Anna Pohribna, Deputy Director for Programming at Mystetskyi Arsenal.

Visitors to the exhibition will experience an immersive encounter with the Kherson region seen through the lens of a camera and through the personal memories of its inhabitants, and also key figures in contemporary Ukrainian cinema. The exhibition space will bring together site-specific installations designed by exhibition architect Oleksandr Burlaka, along with video and photo projects, artistic films by the curatorial team, and more than thirty multimedia works inspired by the featured films.

“This exhibition is an attempt to view the South not as a marginalized region, but as a vital point for understanding contemporary Ukraine. This research is like the steppe itself: quiet, vast, windy, and yet full of voices. We must rethink the South not only as a geography of losses, but as a space of strength, imagination, community, and renewal. For me, as someone born in the South, this project is deeply personal. It is a work of grief. And a work of hope,” says Yana Barinova, Director Ukraine Programme at ERSTE Foundation.

According to the curator Kateryna Botanova, the exhibition is an invitation to stay with the Kherson region, which is no longer there and will definitely be there, to think about how natural and cultural landscapes shape our society, how we can remember our losses, and where we can get strength for the future. This time, Mystetskyi Arsenal will present not a historical exhibition, but the history of Kherson region of independent Ukraine.

KHERSON. THE STEPPE HOLDS (CURATORIAL TEXT)

Kherson. The Steppe Holds is also an attempt to think through and discuss the challenges, needs, and opportunities for the restoration of this region and the Ukrainian South as a whole. Given the strategic location of the Kherson region on the border with the occupied Crimea, and as of today, on the border with the occupied Ukrainian Left Bank, visions and scenarios for the reconstruction of this region will be critically important for the whole Ukraine.

Curator: Kateryna Botanova
Exhibition Architect: Oleksandr Burlaka

                                                _______________________________________________________________________

The exhibition will be on view from 27 June to 28 September 2025.
Opening hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 12:00–20:00 (ticket office is open until 19:30).
On 27 June, the exhibition will be open from 18:00 to 21:00

                                                _______________________________________________________________________
❗ We care about everyone’s safety, so in case of an air raid alert, the exhibition will be closed. At this time, you can go to the nearest shelter. The exhibition will start working after the end of an air raid alert.

The exhibition is organized in cooperation with Art Arsenal Community NGO, with the support of the ERSTE Foundation and the Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine (PFRU), funded by aid from the governments of Canada, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. ERSTE Foundation creates social, economic, and cultural infrastructure and innovation for a changing Europe. We empower initiatives for change and contribute to civil society development and regional progression.

The Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine (PFRU) is a multi-donor programme funded by Canada, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. PFRU’s objective is to strengthen Ukraine’s resilience in the face of Russian aggression by delivering essential support to local communities in collaboration with the Ukrainian government, civil society, and the private sector.

Technical partner: ERGO
Project partners: Art House Traffic, Cambridge.ua, LoraShen
Mediapartner: Suspilne, Suspilne Culture