Exhibition continues until Friday 20 December, 2024.
“Everything can happen in our lives, as long as it’s not war,” were the words of Hanna Pidkaliuk’s grandmother, a phrase that only now resonates deeply with her. At the same age as her daughter is now, her grandmother once faced the reality of war arriving at her doorstep. Stories that once seemed like distant, almost fictional tales became Pidkaliuk’s own experience.
This exhibition by Hanna Pidkaliuk captures the impact of those moments—a family spending ten days in their basement, repurposed as a bomb shelter, before ultimately leaving their home behind forever. Through her artwork, Pidkaliuk narrates a journey through the darkness of despair to the glimmer of hope for a new life, inviting audiences to witness the resilience and courage born out of personal tragedy.
My name is Hanna Pidkaliuk. I am from Ukraine, from the city of Kharkiv. I am almost forty. I am a mother, a wife and an artist. Regardless of life circumstances and whatever happened, I never stopped drawing. Drawing is my life, my source of vitality. This is a naïve art based only on self-education and experience. Now I am a student at Errigal College. I would like to invite you to get to know my inner world, which I express through visual art.
Hanna Pidkaliuk was mentored by renowned Donegal-based textile artist Deborah Stockdale through an artist mentoring program organised by the Arts and Cultural Diversity section of Donegal County Council Arts Service. This programme provided Pidkaliuk with valuable guidance and support, enhancing her artistic practice and connecting her with the rich local arts community.
