Alexandre Henry transforms explosion-damaged objects into "silent witnesses" of Ukraine war
French artist Alexandre Henry has created a series of sculptures based on furniture and objects salvaged from war-torn areas of Ukraine that he repaired using metal from Russian missiles.
Henry's project, titled Light Into Darkness, was developed over the course of two years during which the artist travelled to Ukraine with the non-profit organisation Dutch Civilian Action.
DCA delivers aid to civilians near the front line of the Ukraine war and Henry, who studied photography in Paris and Berlin, was invited in 2023 to document their actions for communication purposes.
"When the full-scale invasion began, I questioned the role of art in a conflict like this and the impact it can have," Henry explained.
"I also remembered the documentation that was produced after the second world war and the importance of those archives for our collective memory."
Having visited areas devastated by the war, including Izium, Kharkiv and Kherson, Henry settled in Kyiv for three months where he had access to a studio to develop sculptures informed by his experiences.
The artist, who has returned to Ukraine twice since his original visit, told Dezeen that he was struck by the resilience of the people he met, who chose to remain in their homes and to carry on with their lives despite the close proximity of the conflict.
"There is an obvious fragility in these people, linked to the trauma they've endured, but also an extraordinary dignity and determination," Henry pointed out.
"This has deeply influenced my work and the way I wanted to represent them through my sculptures."
During his visits to villages in eastern Ukraine that were mostly destroyed by shelling, Henry felt a connection between his portraits of local people and the physical relics created by the destruction.
"The objects I found there had become silent witnesses of what happened," he said.
"For me, these artefacts take on the aspect of a portrait that bears witness to the visible or silent scars of civilians enduring the war."
Henry collected around a dozen broken and incomplete objects that were damaged by explosions and left behind on the battlefield. Some were given to him by the people he met, who shared their stories of the war.
The artist also collected Russian missile and shell casings that had been demilitarised, which he melted down with the help of Ukrainian foundries to create prostheses used to replace the missing parts.
"The same metal that was used to destroy these objects would now be used to rebuild them, as a metaphor for the Ukrainian families who are rebuilding themselves out of the war," he said.
The project's outcomes were first presented during Dutch Design Week 2025 and included two wooden dining chairs that were repaired using pieces made from cast aluminium.
Another sculpture featured a door displaying the marks of explosions from Russian missiles that was propped up by a pair of brass feet made from recast shell casings.
Henry also repaired two window frames that formed part of an installation called Walls Remember, alongside portraits of Ukrainian civilians printed on fragments of walls salvaged from rubble.
Since the Dutch Design Week exhibition, Henry claimed he has received requests from several institutions interested in displaying his art.
He is planning on returning to Ukraine to create new work in collaboration with people who have suffered physical injuries, as a way of expanding the concept of prostheses.
"The project stands as a broader reflection on memory, resilience and reconstruction," he added.
"Humanity is present through the object: each restored piece is a trace, a wound, and a symbol of collective endurance. Here, art does not claim to explain the war, but to offer resonance – allowing those who encounter it to feel its impact."
In 2023, Ukrainian studio YOD Group salvaged ammunition shells used by anti-aircraft tanks to defend Kyiv from drones and turned them into Downed Drone, a series of limited-edition lamps.
A year later, Dezeen spoke to architecture and design studios in Ukraine that are adapting to support the ongoing war effort while also ensuring they stay in business.
The photography is courtesy of Alexandre Henry.
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