Kyiv Post by Ugo Polleti, April 2024
Ugo Poletti is the Editor-in-Chief of “The Odessa Journal”, online newspaper that was launched during the Covid-19 quarantine to provide news about art, culture, history, business and social life in the maritime capital of Ukraine. He is an Italian entrepreneur, co-founder of the “Rotary Club Odessa Internationa”l, dealing with charity initiatives. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he wrote a book for the Italian readers: “Nel cuore di Odessa”, that was published in Italy, on June 2022.
Mikhail Reva Unveils His New Sculpture in Odesa
Ukraine’s most internationally acclaimed sculptor has just completed a project in Odesa that coincides with Easter celebrations throughout the country.
Mikhail Reva, left, and Reva Foundation coordinator Gennadiy Nechaevskiy, right, beside “Epiphany Now”
On April 27, in Dumska Square, in front of the Odesa City Council, a new sculpture by Mikhail Reva, one of the world most famous Ukrainian sculptors, was unveiled.
The artwork called “Epiphany Now” depicts a large pair of glasses, on whose frame there are hundreds of copper bullets. Reva utilizes the metal originally made for bullets. He also used exploded bullets, turning them into beautiful metal flowers, as the Easter celebration of the defeat of death and the hope of salvation.
The letters “XB” (in the Cyrillic alphabet it is read “KhV”) formed by the shape of the glasses, mean “Khrystos Voskres” – Christ is Risen. It is a religious expression well known among Slavic peoples, which symbolize Easter, standing for Peace and Love.
“Epiphany Now” in Odesa’s Dumska Square
The meaning is closely linked to the current historical moment. Ukraine is today under enemy invasion and is experiencing tragic months of injustice and brutal bloodshed. The severity of the pain and the desire to fight unprecedented evil reveal in Ukrainians a new creative potential to fight military aggression and evil. Therefore, the Ukrainian sculptor explores forms born from the energy of war and which represent evidence of Russia’s inhumane crimes against the Ukrainian nation. Mines, bullets and missiles, distorted by explosions, form integral metaphorical images. Mikhail Reva takes a unique approach to covering the traces of the Ukrainian tragedy. In his hands, explosive projectiles are transformed into metal flowers and take on a new meaning.
After going through the torments of hell, Christ was resurrected in the name of love for humanity. However, now humanity lives in an era where evil rules the world, violating the commandments of Christ. Christ was resurrected so that the world could see the truth. The Epiphany (“visual manifestation”) project appeals to the audience, inviting them to free themselves from blindness by putting on glasses and see the true essence of what is happening, to see that love is in danger.
The sculpture is the result of a Ukrainian-Italian-American partnership. The project “Epiphany Now” is an artistic collaboration between the Ukrainian sculptor and Italian designers of hand-made eyewear Antonio Battaglia and Marco Andreoni. The project is under the direction of the Latin Grammy Award Winner, Ukrainian-American producer Alex Sino.
The Italian artisans, who founded the brand “In Barberia” in Venice, have been producing custom-made frames for almost half a century. Each of their products is an elegant example of refined Italian style, combining the best traditions of Italian classics and modern fashion trends.
Thousands of kilometers from Venice, in the Ukrainian sister city of Odesa, unique art-objects have been created by Mikhail Reva. Reflecting in his art the tragic months of the war in Ukraine, the artist explores the objects that carry the energy of war transforming them into new metaphorical images.