The exhibition is a part of an Arts Council funded project, aiming to share awareness about Ukrainian culture and the mental health of war witnesses.

WARNING: This display features scenes of war and violence.

In the centre of display is an autobiographic graphic novel by Anastasiia Voitenko, presented in a format of short stories, which follows the main character during their life in besieged Kharkiv and life in emigration. The plot relies heavily on art style to recreate subjective impressions from events in the Saltivka district.

It allows the viewer to emphasize with young Ukrainians, see the war from a personal perspective, get some insights into the culture and actualise why the issue of this event is still relevant and what the current state of the conflict means both for the future of Europe’s and Ukrainian youth.

A book from the Portico’s historic collection on a siege during the Crimean War (1854-56) will be displayed alongside the exhibition.

About the display & author

I am Asya Voitenko, a 22 y.o. illustrator from Kharkiv, Ukraine. This display is dedicated to my graphic novel project, based on my experiences in 2022. The project is funded by Arts Council England and is created with the support of the Lakes international Comic Art Festival. It aims to actualise and raise awareness of current events in Ukraine, Russian / Soviet and Ukrainian culture.

All information is presented from my subjective perspective. @pigsproduction

Cartoon of the author with about the display and author