Anna Varkhameyeva was a history student at Donetsk National University in 2014 when conflict erupted between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian government forces. “When the war started, I felt the need to express what was happening inside and around me. So I started to paint pictures showing the war and the occupation of Donetsk,” Varkhameyeva said.
In the summer of 2016, she fled the separatist-controlled region, concealing her paintings by sewing them into the bottom of her bag. Her works depict the physical and psychological effects of the ongoing conflict.
Paintings Of War In Separatist-Controlled Donetsk
"Two Worlds"
"Stop! Mines!"
"She Wanted To Live"
"Hope For Better Luck"
"Russian World"
"Children Of War"
"Hailstorm"
"Everyday Occurence"
"Black Sunflowers"
"The Ukrainian Sun Rises In Donbas"
"On The Other Side Of War"
"Last Hope"
"Cyborgs"
"Ukrainian Summer." Varkhameyeva says: “In my paintings, I want to show what war and occupation are. I want to show how someone with different views, who loves Ukraine, lives under such conditions. And most importantly, I want to remind people that Donetsk is Ukraine."