Inauguration of the Exhibition Honoring Matthieu Chazal
The gallery «#ARTODESSA» invites everyone to the ceremonial opening of the exhibition dedicated to the memory of Matthieu Chazal (1975–2024). This French photographer devoted his life to discovering beauty at the crossroads of East and West.
Matthieu first visited Odessa 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 photography home in Odessa. Matthieu is no longer with us, but our shared dream continues to live on.
Matthieu Chazal (1975 – 2024) was a French photographer and award winner who documented life at the fault lines between East and West. A lover of life and a hedonist, he spent nearly two decades traveling around the Black and Mediterranean Seas, from the Balkans to the Caucasus, from Greece to Armenia, and from Ukraine to Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran in search of beauty. However, his journeys constantly led him to the ugliness of war. Not being a war photographer by calling — a title he disliked — Chazal left a remarkable chronicle of some of the most horrific conflicts of this 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 drinking tea during breaks between battles, dozing in the afternoon hours, bathing in rivers. People strolling through markets, laughing, and getting married. War is only suggested: a destroyed bridge or a broken umbrella. Here, life takes center stage, becoming even more vivid through its fragility.
The grand opening will take place on April 22 at 5:00 PM.
Levantine music will be played with guitar and audio performances by Dmytro Zemskyi at the opening — it will be joyful, just as Matthieu loved it.
