Visiting the exhibition “THE WAY TO FREEDOM: Struggle with a Cutter and a Word” at the “Space of Innovative Creations “Palace”

On May 8, 2025, higher education students of the UFF-23s group, studying in the educational and professional program “Finance, Customs and Taxation” (advisor – Ulyana Vatamanyuk-Zelinska) visited one of the architectural gems of Lviv – the Potocki Palace. The Potocki residence complex was founded in 1672-1682 by the owner of the city of Stanislaviv (now Ivano-Frankivsk) Hetman of the Crown, Andriy Potocki, and built in the style of French classicism. The palace impresses with its elegance, rich decoration and is an example of the architectural luxury of that era. At different times, this residence hosted many honored guests, including Jan Sobieski, who visited the city twice in the status of Hetman of the Field Crown and Polish King, Transylvanian Prince Ferenc Rákóczi, Anna, wife of Pylyp Orlyk, and Austrian Emperor Joseph II. Today, in the Potocki Palace, you can see European painting from the 16th-18th centuries, and this building is also used as the residence of the President of Ukraine.

Various events are held weekly at the Palace. In particular, this year the Space for Innovative Creations “Palace” encouraged visitors to visit the exhibition “THE PATH TO FREEDOM: Struggle with a Knife and a Word”, which was visited by the applicants. This exhibition begins a series of projects in various cities of Ukraine dedicated to the artistic heritage of the UPA era – in particular, the work of Nil Khasevych and the artists of his circle. It featured the underground artist’s tools and wooden postcard clichés. They had been hidden for decades, but now we have a unique opportunity to see these testimonies of the Ukrainian struggle for independence for the first time.  Actually, it was N. Khasevych who created the visual image of the UPA, known to us from the archives – from posters to awards. Khasevych’s weapons were a pencil and a chisel, paper and wood. And although he did not lead armed formations, did not lead combat groups and operations, he was respected in the UPA, protected as much as possible and even insisted on leaving for the West, but he refused.  He had a special strength of spirit and indomitability of fate. This indomitability permeated his works and through them the strength was transferred to other rebels. During searches and seizures of hiding places, Nil Khasevych’s works were seized along with valuable documents – as especially important and dangerous.  He created despite all obstacles and found the strength to fight. This is evidenced by his words, written almost before his death: “I fight at a time when many strong and healthy people in the world do not even believe that such a fight is possible at all…” A great patriot, a son of Ukraine, he shared its difficult fate to the end.