Still Here (2025)
Pieces of Kindergarten wall, collected in Borodyanka by the charity Malyn Volunteer
29 x 44 cm, height 25 cm
This artwork is created from fragments of a bombed Ukrainian kindergarten in Borodyanka. The shadows of children playing symbolize the resilience and life force of Ukrainian children. You can destroy homes and buildings, but you cannot destroy their spirit or their hope for freedom.
Russia launched its assault on Borodyanka on February 26, 2022. The area was bombed from the air and attacked with various weapons. On March 1st at 3:30 PM, a strike hit the kindergarten, which had already been closed due to the invasion.
The ruins of the collapsed buildings revealed 40 fatalities, and once Ukrainian forces regained control of the village, over 300 victims of the war were discovered in Borodyanka. Today, the kindergarten has been repaired and reopened. However, only some of the children who survived the attack returned. Many families, having lost their homes, have been forced to relocate elsewhere.
The work has been exhibited at
Kymenlaakso Museum, Kotka, Finland (2025)
Kronach Leuchtet, Kronach, Germany (2026)