09.10.2025

During the event, the following topics will be raised and discussed:– the influence of art and prominent figures on shaping the values of youth, and on the development of the Azov region and the state;– contemporary methods, techniques, and opportunities for artistic self-expression;– the way today’s youth perceive the art of previous generations, and the importance of its popularization.
Arkhip Kuindzhi was born in Mariupol and grew up in a Greek-Ukrainian cultural environment. This land shaped his worldview, his sense of light and harmony. His landscapes are a hymn to the Azov region, to Ukraine. The Memorial is intended to affirm the artist’s Ukrainian origin and to counter attempts by Russia to appropriate his name and legacy.
Today, Kuindzhi is not only about light and nature, but also about the struggle for identity, a place in history, and memory. That is why the Memorial presents an artistic act of resistance: against occupation, oblivion, and falsification.

In response to missiles, the looting of paintings, and the destruction of museums, we respond with exhibitions, lectures, and new artworks. We prove that Ukrainian culture is alive, pulsating, and creating new meanings. The Memorial testifies that even after losing the city, we have not lost the ability to create — on the contrary, we have changed the format, expanded the geography, and engaged new voices.

Arkhip Kuindzhi entered history as the “master of light.” Today, the light in his paintings takes on a new meaning: the light of memory, the light of resistance, the light of hope. Even when Mariupol remains in the darkness of occupation, we — its community, artists, creators, teachers, cultural figures — carry this light forward. The Memorial is our way of keeping it alive.

The Memorial is not only about the past, but also about the future. The participation of children, students, and young artists is an investment in a new generation of creators who will know their history and speak of it with confidence. We are creating a space for debuts, for dialogue, for finding one’s own voice within the broader conversation about identity and culture.
We will not allow the memory of Kuindzhi, of Mariupol, and of our culture to be erased — we preserve it, amplify it, and pass it on.

This artistic project, dedicated to the brilliant Ukrainian painter of Greek origin, embodies a clear thematic axis: “Kuindzhi. Art. Identity. Resistance.”
The opening of the Memorial took place on September 19, 2025, in the format of an open-air plein air at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine, with the participation of 25 students from Kyiv’s art institutions.

Project partners: National Museum of the History of Ukraine, Lviv National Academy of Arts, Mariupol State University, Federation of Greek Societies of Ukraine, Mariupol Local History Museum, NGO IDPs of Ukraine, Youth Council, and Samit-Knyha Publishing House.