At the beginning of this year, Ukrainian artist Martisha Sea was looking ahead to an exhibition of her work in Kyiv on March 10.

But just a few weeks before it was due to open, Russia invaded Ukraine and she found herself in Galway – forced from her home by a war which has reduced her home to rubble and keeps her awake at night in fear of what might happen the loved ones she had to leave behind.

The shock, pain and fear stoked by Putin’s invasion is the basis of the exhibition Martisha has curated which will be launched this Friday night at Gallery 126 in Galway City.

“I want Ukrainian artists to be visible,” Martisha tells the Connacht Tribune this week, as she puts the final touches to the exhibition which features the work of five Ukrainian visual artists including her own paintings, as well as the work of Ukrainian children.

For Martisha, art is one method of “healing the scars” inflicted by the war which broke out in her country when Russian troops invaded in February, forcing millions of Ukrainians to flee their homeland.

“Art is a way to express those feelings,” says Martisha who explains that no two experiences have been the same since the war began.

“Some children have been raped and tortured. In Ireland, most people arriving here have been more or less fine, but I wanted to create a project with children involved.”

An open call for Ukrainian artists was issued, she says of getting the ‘Point Zero’ exhibition started, and through that, a collection of paintings, sculptures, photography and music has been gathered.

On the opening night, the bandura, a traditional Ukrainian instrument, was played by Tetiana Herasymova, while the exhibtion’s soundtrack has been created by a musician Martisha collaborated with previously on a project for Kyiv Botanical Gardens.

Martisha will also perform on a number of occasions throughout the exhibition’s run, in a display which she says will expose her vulnerability and encapsulate the reality faced by Ukrainians since the outbreak of war.

In April, Martisha and her younger sister were still in their home city of Kryvyi Rih, but intensifying bombing and concerns for her sibling’s health meant that leaving became the only option for the pair.

They both made the heart-breaking decision to flee, leaving behind the life they had built, taking only what they could carry and their two cats.

■ Point Zero is at Gallery 126 located in Hidden Valley, Woodquay, Galway, at 6pm and runs until December 30.

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