Art exhibition portraying Ukraine war through the eyes of children

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Lviv Polytechnic University lecturer Nataliia Pavliuk and her daughter Yustyna have been trying to combat the lasting effects of the conflict through their Art Which Saves programme.

A study by the Olena Zelenska Foundation last year indicates that around 44% of Ukrainian children show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. Other studies have suggested it could be as high as 80%.

Yustyna told STV News: “This is a very important project for us because we understand that kids really need those therapies through art because they are really traumatised.

“Most of them see war, see death, and a lot of cruel situations. Some of their parents are soldiers, and they have a lot of nerves because of this. You never know if your father will come back if he will stay alive, so this is very stressful for them.

“We try and solve those problems through art to make them feel much better.”

In the days following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Nataliia and Yustyna headed out to shelters, orphanages and hospitals to give children an outlet from their pain and suffering through art.

One class they held in an orphanage grew from 35 to 85 within days after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Yustyna said: “This was the first days of the war and we needed to do something, we couldn’t stay home.

“Volunteer centres are full of people, and we want to do what we do our best, which is art and working with kids. There were a lot of kids who needed those classes.

“It was very hard for them to be there and to understand what’s wrong and what they need to do next.

“We did the art classes to make them feel calm.”

Four-year-old Oleshik developed a speech problem after his father died in the war, but he found communication by drawing the building where he and his family lived.

Four-year-old Oleshik's father died in the war. — Four-year-old Oleshik’s father died in the war.

His art is among hundreds of Ukrainian children’s paintings being displayed across the world.

“The stories of the children are the stories that aren’t necessarily heard, and they are stories that no child should ever have to tell,” volunteer David Elley said.

“As time has gone on, knowledge and information about what is happening in Ukraine has become less and less important to us here in the West.

“Those stories still need to be told because they are still happening, they are still being traumatised, and we somewhat have forgotten about that.

“But an easy way to communicate what is happening in Ukraine is to tell the children’s stories, and we’d like Scotland to help.”

Following an exclusive exhibition at the Scottish Parliament, the charity plans to return to Scotland to exhibit the Little Hope Gallery publicly later this year.

Art exhibition on display at Scottish Parliament STV News

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government has taken strong action to ensure the health and welfare of all displaced Ukrainians in Scotland.

“We have provided guidance to all health boards on what provisions should be made to make sure people have access to local mental health services and GP practices. Ukrainians are able to access healthcare on the same terms as residents.”