Ukrainian sculptor Valerii Kaluiev, forced to flee his home in Kyiv and now living in Bury St Edmunds, to display his latest work at the Apex
A renowned Ukrainian sculptor, who was forced to flee his home in Kyiv, is to display his latest work at a forthcoming exhibition, inspired by his homeland – and St Edmund.
Valerii Kaluiev, now 80, fled the war-torn capital in February 2022 after the first Russian missiles struck.
He and wife, Ludmyla, 77, were on one of the last trains to leave the city before making their way to Poland.
After a month, the couple were able to move to the UK with the help of Jo Churchill MP.
They found a home in Bury St Edmunds, where their son, Tamik has lived for 20 years. They brought only a shoulder bag with them.
Valerii is a sculptor of international repute with his work displayed in public areas, museums and galleries throughout Kyiv, Ukraine and Russia.
He was also one of the artists who worked on the famous Kyiv monuments, Motherland and The Founders of Ukraine.
Wary his legacy will be destroyed, damaged or twisted to political ends, he began painting again in Poland.
Since then, has completed a total of 85 artworks, several dedicated to St Edmund, in whom he found inspiration.
He said: “The story of the founders of cities is close to me, having worked on the Founders of Kyiv monument.
“When I heard the story of Edmund, the narrative was similar; arriving in a boat, invited to become a king. The more I thought, looked, learned, wandered through Bury, East Anglia, it was inspiring; a story both powerful and tragic.
“The vision for my statue, I have created in small scale so far, was to transform the arrows that hit him into rays of spiritual enlightenment.”
The exhibition, called My World – Uncompromised: From Ukraine to UK, through the eyes of an artist, will be held at the Apex, between July 15 and August 14. It includes all 85 works.
It has been supported with funding from six town councillors and backed by The Friends of Moyse’s Hall Museum and West Suffolk Heritage Service.
Valerii, who was born in Russia, but moved to Ukraine when he was young, said: “I was born in 1943 and remember from my childhood prisoners of war. I never thought I would live through another experience as close to war again.
“I want my art to survive and refuse to succumb to the war. But art is art; it is the people who my heart bleeds for, from both sides.
“The exhibition at the Apex is also a thank you to the people of Bury and the UK.”