The gallery «#ARTODESSA» at the Summer Theatre of the City Garden announces the opening of a new exhibition honoring Matthieu Chazal (1975–2024), a talented French photographer who dedicated his life to finding beauty at the intersection of cultures.

Matthieu first visited Odesa in 2011 and returned multiple times after the full-scale invasion of Russia starting in March 2022. He fell in love with the city, and together we dreamed of establishing a home for photography in Odesa. Although Matthieu is no longer with us, our shared dream continues to live on.

Matthieu Chazal (1975 – 2024) was a French photographer and multiple award winner who documented life on the dividing lines between East and West. A true hedonist, he spent nearly two decades traveling around the Black and Mediterranean Seas, from the Balkans to the Caucasus, from Greece to Armenia, from Ukraine to Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran in search of beauty. Yet his journeys were constantly confronted by the ugliness of war. Not being a war photographer by nature— a title he disliked— he left behind a stunning chronicle of some of the most horrific conflicts of this century. A philosopher by nature and education, Chazal created images that served as profound human reflections on life amid the horrors of war and in spite of them. Soldiers drink tea during breaks in fighting, nap in the afternoon sun, bathe in the river. People shop at markets, laugh, and get married. War is only hinted at through a destroyed bridge or a broken umbrella. Here, life takes center stage, becoming even more vibrant due to its fragility.

Grand Opening: April 22 at 5:00 PM

The opening will feature Levantine music played on guitar and audio by Dmytro Zemskyi — it will be joyful, just as Matthieu loved.