“Oksana Trigub-Milashevich.
Artist, founder and teacher at the children’s art studio “Me and You Paint”. Lives and works in Ivano-Frankivsk. Part of a large number of collective and solo exhibitions and art projects in Ukraine. Significant exhibitions and events: Art Hub Odessa 2019, Venice Biennale 2019, Svidnitsky Museum of Ukrainian Culture, Slovakia, plenary Latvia 2020.
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With the outbreak of war came anxiety and fear for the lives of my children.
I also found out how valuable my three years of painting studio #i_ty_painting is. It combines what I love – childhood and art.
From mid-Tuesday I started to hold charity workshops on Tuesdays on art therapy for children, who were forced to move from Kherson, Kharkov, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhya. We work with children according to the method of intuitive painting – a way to paint as you feel. And given the circumstances – also the opportunity to splash out stress.
At the first meetings, the children often painted in black. Black is a good way of communicating a powerful emotion. They came again and again and, gradually, changed from the turgid black to a green, more peaceful colour.
In the middle of the autumn children’s exhibition “Trail to the Campaign” was held. The plinths are so rich in patterns and colours and at the same time it is not difficult to decorate them. Though one is more drawn to cats and Marvel heroes.
Before the war my paintings were about love and beauty. Now I have learned that art can serve as weapons. I organized a personal charity exhibition ‘Lend Lease’, sold works for the army, and took part in charity art projects.
Sometimes I am tempted to think that the war has no end in sight. I do not understand that zombified non-humans are tearing my country to pieces. Perhaps when the war is over, I’ll cry. And while I’m still painting, volunteering and bringing Peremoga as close as I can.