Kherson: NOT / Stolen. Studies and Homages
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Art Exhibit from Ukraine May 3 – June 7, 2026
Opening: Sunday, May 3, 2026 – 2 pm at the KUMF Gallery
Commemorating the third anniversary of the liberation of Kherson from russian occupation
This is a collaborative project by artists from all over Ukraine who remain in the country, continuing to create art despite the ongoing shelling and destruction. The project serves as an act of solidarity with the Shovkonenko Art Museum in Kherson, which was systematically looted by russian forces just days before the city’s liberation in November 2022. It is a narrative of freedom and resilience. It is a vision of our shared future.
Kherson arrives in Toronto through the latest works of Ukrainian contemporary artists.
Have you ever visited Kherson without stepping inside its museum? Do you know what its collection once held? Through this project, we aim to demonstrate that contemporary artists remember and honor those whose masterpieces graced the museum’s halls before the occupation. Artists from various Ukrainian cities have joined this initiative, creating studies and homages inspired by the specific works stolen from the collection.
While the exact reopening date of the Kherson Art Museum remains unknown, one thing is certain: when its doors finally open again, visitors will encounter contemporary works every bit as powerful as those lost-works that Ukraine remains committed to recovering after our Victory.
Kherson lives on. We honor it, and we stand with it.