In Kherson, an exhibition of drawings by civilian detainees titled “Art of Captivity: Russian captivity through the eyes of a civilian” was presented. The exhibition is dedicated to the story of Serhiy Ofitserov and the “Kherson Nine” — civilians who have been held in Russian captivity since 2022.
More than fifty works created in captivity were displayed.
The drawing exhibition “Art of Captivity: Russian captivity through the eyes of a civilian” is dedicated to the story of Kherson resident Serhiy Ofitserov and the “Kherson Nine” — civilians who have been held in Russian captivity since 2022. Suspilne reported this.
“Serhiy’s fate has become one of the symbols of the large-scale political repressions against the peaceful population of Kherson region. Along with his story, we also remember other civilian residents of Kherson whom Russia is unlawfully holding based on fabricated charges — the ‘Kherson Nine,’” said Andriy Yaremenko, Deputy Director of the Department for Humanitarian Policy Implementation of the Kherson Regional Administration.
The exhibition includes 57 works. Most of them are drawings by Serhiy Ofitserov. His father, Hennadiy, has 77 of his son’s works. Serhii manages to send the drawings from captivity despite bans and inspections. The drawings depict fragments of life behind bars, memories of peaceful times, and portraits of friends.
“He has a drawing called ‘View from the Window.’ In a letter, my son commented on what he depicted: ‘We don’t go for walks. Outside the window, apart from the bars, there is a brick wall, and you can see a small piece of the sky. There is wire, mesh, and bars everywhere. I tried to draw the view from the window, but there were too many grills,’” said Serhiy Ofitserov’s father, Hennadiy.
The exhibition also features works by civilian detainee Serhiy Kovalskyy. Serhiy’s mother, Iryna, says she keeps all the drawings separately at home. She received the latest one ten days ago. There was one more work, but according to her, it was taken away by the guards.
“Today people can see the drawings of my two relatives: my brother, Serhiy Ofitserov, and my son, Serhiy Kovalskyy. They were captured together on the very first day. They are always held separately — in a basement, in Lefortovo, and now in Rostov — because they are relatives,” Iryna Kovalska said.
The initiator of the exhibition, Olena Hnitetska, says the idea emerged after she recorded an interview with Serhiy Ofitserov’s mother.
“His mother told his story and then mentioned that he draws. I saw the drawings. They were really beautiful. I could see the progress in them: how he drew at first and how he drew later. That’s how the idea to hold an exhibition in Serhiy’s hometown came about,” Hnitetska said.
A fragment of a film about Serhiy Ofitserov was also shown during the exhibition’s presentation.
