“Time Hears Us” 70x95cm. 2025

paper, gouache, pastel, charcoal, pencils

This piece is dedicated to the resilient city of Kharkiv, which, at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, was among the first to take the hit.

For me, this city holds great significance; it was my first experience of independence. I studied in Kharkiv and lived there for a while, even considered moving there permanently. The Kharkiv Academy gave me a significant push forward as an artist (though my experience with the master’s program turned out to be a complete disaster, but that’s a different story).

In its hardest times, Kharkiv stood strong and will continue to stand, just like the people who live there.

In my artwork, you can see a fragment of Kharkiv—a building from 1911 that was destroyed by a Russian missile in March 2022. The phrase “Time Hears Us” is a mural created by the Kharkiv artist Hamlet Zinkivskyi.