The «#ARTODESSA» gallery at the Summer Theatre of the City Garden is pleased to announce the opening of an exhibition honoring Matthieu Chazal (1975–2024), a French artist who dedicated his life to exploring beauty at the crossroads of East and West.

Matthieu first visited Odesa in 2011 and returned many times after the full-scale Russian invasion began in March 2022. He fell in love with the city, and together we dreamed of establishing a photography house in Odesa. Though Matthieu is no longer with us, our shared dream lives on.

Matthieu Chazal (1975 – 2024) was a renowned photographer and recipient of numerous awards, documenting life along the fault lines between East and West. A lover of life and a hedonist, Chazal spent nearly two decades traveling around the Black and Mediterranean Seas, from the Balkans to the Caucasus, from Greece to Armenia, and across Ukraine to Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran in search of beauty. However, his journey was often shadowed by the ugliness of war. Not a military photographer by vocation – a title he disliked – Chazal left behind a stunning chronicle of some of the most horrific conflicts of our century. A philosopher by nature and education, Chazal created images that were indirect yet deeply humane reflections on life amidst the horrors of war and despite them. Soldiers sipping tea during breaks between battles, napping in the afternoon, bathing in rivers. People strolling through markets, laughing, and getting married. War is only hinted at: a destroyed bridge or a broken umbrella. Here, life takes center stage, becoming even more vibrant due to its fragility.

The official opening: April 22 at 5:00 PM

The opening will feature Levantine music performed on guitar and audio by Dmytro Zemskyi – it will be a joyful event, just as Matthieu would have loved it.