Exhibition of Ukrainian kids’ paintings to highlight the horrors of war

HEARTBREAKING pictures drawn by Ukrainian children in bomb shelters have managed to find their way to Cork for an exhibition the city has never seen before.

Natalia Korkh who escaped from Kyiv following Russia’s invasion more than a year ago is one of the organisers behind an exhibition in St Peter’s on North Main Street highlighting the talent and resilience of Ukraine’s children of war. The initiative was devised by the organisation Shtab Pivndya with the help of Ukrainian ambassador Larysa Gerasko who assisted in sourcing artwork.

Some of the pictures being displayed at the event-which runs from April 13 to April 18 include images of tanks, sunflowers, helicopters, among other symbols associated with war.

Some include poignant messages from the little artists.

One ten-year-old girl named Ilya described in writing how her life in Vorzel had been impacted by war saying: “I hope to live to see the birthday. My family is in Vorzel and I am of course with them.

“I really want it to end soon and I believe that we will definitely win, thank you for your help!

“Glory to Ukraine!”

Another child chose a sunflower as a tribute to the woman who famously handed sunflower seeds to a Russian soldier. She had made the gesture to the heavily armed man demanding that he put them in his pockets so that sunflowers could grow when he died on Ukrainian soil.

Natalia said it showed how even young children have a deep understanding of the atrocities.

“They realise the deeper meaning,” she said.

She became emotional when speaking about the lives of Ukrainian kids nowadays in contrast to her own childhood.

“My mum still has some pictures from my childhood which was a very happy time. It’s nice to look at them but I’m not sure how these children will feel looking at their pictures in the future. Some might not be able to look at them.”

She reiterated how proud they are of the children back home for struggling over such adversity.

“We are so proud of the children and their families,” she said. “Parents are still trying to make the most of it and give them the best childhoods they can despite the circumstances. When you look at these pictures and remind yourself that they were drawn in bomb shelters it brings tears and goosebumps. I visited Kyiv last September and it’s not the same in a sense. This is not the childhood kids dreamed about especially when you consider those in occupied territories.”

She described the therapeutic nature of art for children affected by war.

“They can splash feelings on to a page. For many it’s an escape.”

The Ukraine native opened up about seeing the pictures for the first time saying: “There are mixed feelings. There is sadness because you can see how kids have adapted to the situation but they are also scared.”

She thanked the people of Cork for their support.

“I thought that when I came in March of last year that it would only be for a few months.

“I thought it would be two months or a half a year at the most before I came home to an independent Ukraine. Even though my prediction was wrong I am grateful for the warmth and support from my host family who looked after me for the first eight months.”