SmART Gallery | smART fest 2026

As part of the Vyshyvanka Unites festival, the exhibition presents works by artist Yaryna Ilo, who was born in Kyiv and has lived and worked in Estonia since 1974. She came to Estonia to study at the Academy of Arts, where she later also taught. The artist is a member of the Estonian Artists’ Association and works as a painter and book illustrator.

The artist’s work is deeply connected to the human experience of war. From 2018 to 2022, she worked in schools in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine, conducting art therapy workshops for children and teachers living close to the frontline and affected by the war that began in 2014.

Following the start of the full-scale invasion, from April 2022 to May 2024 she conducted art therapy workshops for children of Ukrainian war refugees in Estonia, visiting schools across the country. During the same period, she also sheltered eight relatives who had been forced to flee the war.

The works presented in the exhibition are based on stories of people who have lived through war — stories of loss, forced change, memory, and hope, heard through personal encounters and conversations.

The festival “Vyshyvanka Unites” addresses important themes of war, humanity, and mutual support. Here, the vyshyvanka becomes not only a symbol of culture, but also a symbol of unity, solidarity, and the preservation of humanity even in the most difficult times.

This exhibition is about people who have lost their homes and peaceful everyday lives, yet continue to move forward, finding the strength to begin again. It is also about the importance of unity, which helps people endure.

Kultuurikatel
24.05.2026
Tickets: fienta.com

The project is organized by drUzi.ee Ukraina meedia Druzi and the Association of Ukrainian Organizations in Estonia with the support of Tallinn City, the Integration Foundation, and the Ministry of Culture of Estonia