Injured Ukrainian soldiers and families of the deceased expressed their “trauma and loss” through artworks, which were displayed at Sheffield Cathedral at the weekend.
The Wounded Ukraine exhibition, for the second year, presented a collection of amateur paintings created at art therapy sessions hosted at the Veterans’ House in Rivne, Western Ukraine. The creators of the paintings included widows, mothers, and children who have endured trauma and loss as a result of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
The exhibition, hosted by the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB), launched the weekend before the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and has aimed to raise money for medical supplies.
The Chair of the AUGB, Anton Ievsiushkin, said the exhibition is their way to do whatever they can to support the veterans, the people on the frontline, and their families.
He added: “Each painting shows the trauma and loss the individual is experiencing.
“They are all really moving when you understand more about what the person behind the painting was going through, but I try not to read the descriptions because I start crying.”
Chair of the AUGB
The head of the Veterans’ House, Victoria Shynkarenko, began the project in 2018 after discovering that painting helped her when struggling with insomnia, which developed after serving on the frontline.
The center has now run over 600 art therapy sessions.
Chris Jones, a member of the Abbeydale Rotary, a charitable organisation that has worked to support Ukraine by sending food and toy boxes to Ukrainians, emphasised the importance of art therapy.
He said: “Art therapy, especially for children, allows people to broaden their mind and face their trauma through a healthy outlet.”
The Cathedral additionally held a bilingual service of evening prayer on Sunday, the eve of the third anniversary of the invasion.
The Treasurer of the AUGB, Tanya Klymenko, read a prayer of reconciliation that pleaded: “God of love, we have seen injustices and done too little. We have given up on the work that makes for peace. We have neglected our neighbour who is far away. Turn our hearts to your ways and give us peace.”
This evening, for the final night of the exhibit, the AUGB , alongside Sheffield City Council, has invited the people of Sheffield to join them for a vigil at the Winter Gardens at 5pm.
