Feature | Sacred Well: How art helped a Ukrainian family escape occupation

This Friday (January 31), a new exhibition by Ukrainian artist Kostiantyn Tereshchenko opens at Tartu Art House. "Civilization 'I'" features works salvaged from Kherson during its time under Russian occupation. Among them is a piece bought by an Estonian collector in 2022, which enabled Tereschenko's family to escape their occupied city and the horrors of the war.
The story of Ukrainian artist Kostiantyn Tereshchenko is one of "art that changes lives, about the resilience of the human spirit, and about how creativity can unite people in the most challenging times," says curator Viktoria Berezina.
Berezina put together Tereschenko's solo exhibition "Civilization 'I'," which opens at Tartu Art House this January. She first crossed paths with the artist back in 2017 when organizing her debut curatorial exhibition in their hometown of Kherson. Little did they know at the time that this meeting would not only mark the beginning of a creative collaboration but also the start of a lasting friendship.
Five years later, "when the war changed our lives, this connection gained a profound new significance," Berezina says.
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In March 2022, shortly after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Kherson in southern Ukraine fell under Russian occupation. Both Tereschenko and Berezina were living there at the time. "While I was in the city, I corresponded with Tartu gallerist Raul Oreškin," Berezina says. "Sharing updates about the events unfolding in Kherson, as well as about my family and friends."

She also gave an interview to Estonian financial newspaper Äripäev, in which she described what was happening in her hometown, and also discussed the work of local artists. "During the conversation, I mentioned several Kherson-based artists, including Kostiantyn," Berezina says.
Like Berezina, Tereschenko and his wife Anastasiia were still in Kherson – they were also imminently expecting a child. Despite the shelling going on outside, their daughter Dusya was born at a local hospital on March 13, 2022.
Shortly after, Äripäev published an article based on the interview with Berezina. It featured several photographs of Tereschenko's art. Among the works pictured was "Sacred Well," a graphic piece from his series "Civilization I."
What happened next proved to be a lifeline for the Tereschenko family.
"A month ago, a woman from Estonia reached out to us," Anastasiia and Kostiantyn Tereschenko wrote in a letter to Berezina. "Her father had seen the publication about us in the magazine (Äripäev – ed.), and became interested in the painting 'Sacred Well.' He wanted to purchase it – if we could find a way to send it."
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While the Estonian collector's interest in the work was assured, it was still crucial for Kostiantyn Tereschenko to find a way to finalize the deal, so he could transfer the money to his relatives, who desperately needed it to escape the occupation.
However, after two weeks of searching for a way to transport the work to Odesa, from where it could be sent on, no one they could find was prepared to take the risk, the Tereshchenkos wrote in their letter to Viktoria Berezina. "So, we had to take the painting ourselves."
After carefully rolling up "Sacred Well" and hiding it in a tube that was almost a meter-and-a-half long, they left Kherson and the occupied Ukrainian territories.
"It was incredible: We were searched, but the paintings somehow remained unnoticed," they wrote. After making it to Georgia and completing the necessary paperwork, the Tereshchenkos were finally able to ship "Sacred Well," to its buyer. The work even took a detour via the Canary Islands before arriving safely in Estonia.
"Thanks to the proceeds from the artwork, [Tereschenko's] family managed to leave occupied Kherson and begin a new life in Sweden," said Berezina.
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The story of how "Sacred Well" made it to Estonia is incredible enough by itself. However, the other pieces in Tereschenko's "Civilization 'I,'" would remain stuck in Kherson for a further two years.
They were stored in a rented apartment "with shattered windows through which the wind howled," Berezina explained. "The apartment was located in the heart of the city, on Freedom Square. No one knew if the paintings would survive: all of Kostiantyn's works were left there after the owners of the apartment fled and never returned."
It was only thanks to the efforts of their friends – a combination of artists and entrepreneurs – that Tereschenko's remaining works were eventually rescued. They were taken out of Kherson and sent to Sweden, where he now lives. This January, they will be reunited with "Sacred Well" in the exhibition in Tartu.
After everything they have been through, it is no surprise that Tereschenko considers "Civilization 'I'" to be his most precious collection of art. "If I were to leave this world, I would feel at peace, because I've expressed everything I wanted to say through these works," he said.
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For both Kostiantyn Tereschenko and curator Viktoria Berezina, who also escaped from occupied Kherson and continues to create new works in Tartu as well as raise awareness about the war in her homeland, "Civilization 'I'" is "not just art."
"It is a reflection of our duty and appreciation. Kostiantyn, his family, and I have been through so much," said Berezina. "And we will always remember how Estonia, like a ray of light in a dark time, extended a helping hand."
"That is why we find it especially symbolic to present these works in Tartu. This exhibition is a token of gratitude to Estonia," she added. "A country that extended a helping hand when it was needed the most."

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Kostiantyn Tereshchenko's exhibition "Civilization 'I'" opens in the small gallery of the Tartu Art House at 6 p.m. on Friday, January 31. The curator of the exhibition is Viktoria Berezina. The exhibition will remain on display until March 2. More information is available here.
On Tuesday, February 4 another exhibition "Abstract Reality," featuring works by Kostiantyn Tereschenko alongside that of three other Ukrainian artists is also set to open at 6 p.m. at Tartu's Jakobi Gallery. "Abstract Reality" is also curated by Viktoria Berezina.
More information is available here.
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Editor: Helen Wright