And more than 75 people attended the opening of the month-long exhibition last week.
It is taking place on the first floor of old Debenhams building in Dumfries, hosted by Dumfries and Galloway Multicultural Association. The ‘Ukraine in Scotland’ exhibition was launched on the eve of Ukrainian Independence Day celebrations and will run until September 17.
Guests heard the stories of an up-and-coming self-taught artist from Ukraine, Svitlana Chernenko. Since arriving in the UK in March the outpouring of her experiences on canvas has been both prodigious, poignant, and therapeutic.
Her work is characterised by its rawness, resilience and ultimate optimism. Scenes include the sadness and self-belief of a father as he parts from his son on the Romanian border, a reminder of the senseless slaughter of men and livestock at a Kherson riding school, the poignance of two lovers watching possibly their last sunset in Odessa.
Other pieces include traditional Ukrainian embroidery by Marina Berezovska and sunflower paintings by Olga Lapteva.
