York exhibition marks anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine

The story it tells is one of war, and horror – but also gratitude.

The painting dominates the space at York’s Spurriergate Centre where, on Tuesday and Wednesday next week, an exhibition marking the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine will run for two days.

Artist Helena Vyshnevska, who fled Ukraine two years ago, and who now lives in Harrogate with her 14-year-old son Danylo, said she tried to capture in the painting all her feelings about the war.

This is a picture of gratitude to the people of Great Britain says artist Helena Vyshnevska (Image: Stephen Lewis)

The sky is troubled and torn. In the background, rising out of a swirling pall of smoke, is Helena’s home city of Kyiv.

A path through fields is littered with poppies – symbolising war and lost lives.

But it is what is going on in the foreground that captures how Helen feels towards the people of Britain.

A Ukrainian woman looks over her shoulder with an expression of gratitude towards a British man watching her.

Artist Helena Vyshnevska with another of her paintings inspired by the war in her native Ukraine (Image: Stephen Lewis)

The man is actually a Scot – complete with kilt and bagpipes. But that’s simply because, until she came here, that was the only image she had of British people, Helena admits.

“This is a picture of gratitude to the people of Great Britain, for the support and shelter of a large number of Ukrainians, and for the support of my country,” she says.

The scores of Ukrainians – mostly women and children – who have made their homes in York since fleeing the war, do feel grateful.

But that doesn’t stop them worrying about friends and family – and wondering what the future holds.

Daria Furmanova, who helped organise the Spurriergate Centre exhibition, said she still finds it hard to believe how completely her life was uprooted the day the Russians invaded.

Daria Furmanova with some of Helena's paintings in the Spurriergate Centre (Image: Stephen Lewis)

She fled her home in Kyiv with ‘one bag, my daughter and my cat’.

She had been invited to stay with friends just outside Kyiv – but decided against.

She’s thankful now that she did – it was in the Irpin area that was quickly occupied by Russians, and where witnesses have spoken of a month-long reign of terror.

Instead, Daria and Alisa fled to Lviv in western Ukraine, then across the border to Poland.

There, they stayed in a supermarket that had been turned into a makeshift shelter.

Eventually they made their way, by train and Eurotunnel, to the UK and York.

Daria Furmanova (Image: Stephen Lewis)

Alisa is settled at school in York, Daria says. But still, neither of them feel truly safe. Even the sound of aeroplanes flying overhead makes them flinch.

Now, with bombs continuing to fall on Ukraine every day, the first thing she does each morning is message friends and family back home to make sure they’re OK. “Then I can continue.”

The exhibition in Spurriergate, which features paintings by Helena plus photographs taken by serving Ukrainian army sergeant Oxana Chorna, aims to remind people here that the war in Ukraine is still going on, she says - and that her people continue to need help.

Soldier releasing a drone: photo from the frontline of the Ukraine war by Sgt Oxana Chorna (Image: Stephen Lewis/ Oxana Chorna)

“I worry all the time,” she said. “Everything gets worse and I can see that it is not going to stop.”

‘Artwork from Ukraine’, the Spurriergate Centre, February 20 and 21 from 10.30am to 2.30pm.

There will also be a free showing of the Ukrainian film The Way of Generations, with English subtitles, at the Tempest Anderson Hall at 7pm on Friday February 23.