Ukrainian art auctioned at Coventry Cathedral for war effort

Paintings created by Ukrainian artists, including a 10-year-old girl, are to be auctioned, helping to raise money for those affected by war in the country.

About 50 paintings will go on show at Coventry Cathedral during an annual peace conference, ahead of the sale.

Many of the artists featured fled their country during the conflict.

Half of the proceeds will go towards funding items most needed, like food, medical supplies and ambulance cars, with the rest going to the artists.

Viktoriia Sydorova, aged 10, was forced to leave her home in Kyiv for Rivne in western Ukraine earlier this year, after previously being evacuated from Donetsk in 2014.

Now living in the UK, she said she remembered having to spend nights in bomb shelters and underground stations “with all the people who were hiding from rockets”.

“My favourite painting is of the woman with fire around her and pictures of a house, plants, animals and books – all of the things that I miss from home,” she said.

Another artist, Yevheniia Zhydkova, 42, fled to Moldova from her home in Gostomel, outside Kyiv.

She describes travelling with her child and three pets with more than 30 helicopters hovering over her home.

“I was fortunate that my car was not noticed by Russian soldiers,” she said.

“My paintings are a way of downloading my emotions somewhere, as I could not stand them being only inside my head.”

The paintings have “historical significance” said Pavel Pimkin, president of the Coventry University Ukrainian Society and auction organiser.

“I am looking forward to seeing this inspiring collection of paintings go under the hammer and bring Ukrainian art to a wider audience,” he said.

The auction will take place during Coventry University’s Rising Global Peace Forum at the cathedral on 9 November, with art also available to buy online via the Coventry Ukrainian Society website.