In the first week of October Polish artist and woodcarver Aleksander Majerski came to Kherson. A winner of many European forums, the artist is well known in his homeland. He came to Ukraine at the invitation of Kherson artist Valeria Moskvitina. They met at an international session of outdoor painting in Poland. However, the Polish artist came not only for a visit or as a tourist. His main goal is for the first time in many years to meet his family who lives in Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk, and in Kherson he plans to carve an image of Jesus Christ thinking about the humankind before his crucifixion on a tree near one of the city’s churches.
During the interview the master told me some interesting facts from the history of his family, which is closely connected with Ukraine. The artist asked not to name those people he mentioned, therefore the article will name only the kinship ties.
Majerski’s mother was Ukrainian. She was born in 1928 in the Carpathian province, which is now the territory of Ukraine. The artist’s grandparents came from Ukrainian Volhynia. In 1945, when World War II came to an end, the artist’s family was separated by the border between Poland and Soviet Ukraine. His mother together with her sister had to run away from Soviet regime to Hungary, while two of their brothers stayed in the Soviet Union. They were able to meet again only 28 years after the war and it was only a couple of weeks ago that Majerski saw his uncles for the first time.
“I always knew that I had to visit my mom’s homeland and meet my family here. The war between the USSR and Germany was a great tragedy of the 20th century. It affected almost every family in the countries where the war actions took place,” said the Polish artist. “My grandfather, who was a Greek Catholic priest, was shot by the NKVD soldiers, my mother was separated from her family for a long time, and my aunt was sent to Siberia by the brutal totalitarian machine of the Soviet Union, while her 10-year-old daughter was taken to an orphanage. Many people suffered at that time. Today, however, we need to understand our ancestors and learn to forgive their sins. In bad countries there have always been good people. Totalitarianism obscured the minds of statesmen of the era and it was mostly common people who suffered from repressions, ordinary soldiers, and fanatics of those regimes. This was the way I was taught in Lyceum named after Seweryn Goszczynski, who, as I have recently found out, was buried in Lviv.” Perhaps, because of such views religious topics are leading in Majerski’s works. In his opinion, contemporaries should know history well in order not to repeat the mistakes of the past. They also need to cultivate in their souls a sense of kindness and love for life and for the people around.
“Valeria Moskvitina invited me to Kherson to carve the image of Jesus awaiting his suffering on the cross,” continued the artist. “This work is dedicated to my grandfather and all the victims of the totalitarian regime, regardless of nationality. My mother was living in a multicultural society, and since my childhood she has taught me to understand that all people are equal: Germans, Jews, Poles, Ukrainians, and Russians. I try to bring the same ideas into society with my works. I really want people to learn through culture to respect other nations.”
Mr. Majerski has already completed his work. All visitors can come and see the original artwork, which now greets the members of Saint Barbara’s Church in Kherson.
