“This is not just an exhibition,” says Belgian artist David Gayse, the creator behind the show.
“ВІКТОРІ(Я)” is an art exhibition by David Gayse that opened in Brussels on May 21. The deeply moving artworks are on display at the Ukrainian Voices community center until May 29.
The exhibition is profoundly personal. It began when Gayse met a Ukrainian man who inspired him to travel to Kyiv. In 2022, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Gayse was also diagnosed with cancer. These two life-altering events shaped the vision behind his work.
One of the central figures in the exhibition is Victoria Honcharuk — a Ukrainian woman who left a career on Wall Street and turned down an offer to study at Harvard to return home and serve as a volunteer medic. When she saw one of Gayse’s paintings portraying her fallen comrade, she was moved to tears. That emotional moment became the catalyst for the entire exhibition.
The title “ВІКТОРІ(Я)” holds layered meanings — victory, identity, resilience — and also refers to the name of Victoria’s volunteer group, TORI, which supports wounded soldiers.
“It’s my way of making the war in Ukraine real for people far away,” says Gayse. “Art can show the human side of stories we usually only hear as numbers.”
📍 The exhibition is open from May 21 to May 29 at Rue de la Loi 89, 1040 Brussels.
