PICTURES: Ukrainian art studio ArtUA hosts exhibition in Limerick

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On November 1, the 5th anniversary art exhibition “Revived by Art” opened in Limerick, presenting the
creative achievements of the Ukrainian Art Studio ArtUA Limerick for 2022–2025. The exhibition brings
together 150 works utilising various techniques: graphics, painting, decorative and applied arts, and
graphic design.
The ArtUA Limerick project was founded by Ukrainian artist and teacher Lyubov Makarenko, who was
forced to leave her native Mariupol after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. Since July 2022, she
has been giving fine art classes at the Redemptorist Church of St. Alphonsus Liguori in Limerick,
facilitating a creative environment for the Ukrainian community and all those who wish. The studio has
brought together forty participants aged six to seventy-seven, including not only Ukrainians, but also
representatives of other nationalities.
Art as a bridge between the past and the present
This years exhibition is distinguished by the deeply emotional and personal nature of its content. This
year’s theme is the personal memories of the artists about their hometowns and places that have
become dear to them. Through art, the authors return to their origins: among the depicted locations are
Mariupol, Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Limerick and many other towns and cities in Ukraine and
Ireland. The works convey both nostalgia and pain, as well as love for the places that have shaped the
personal stories of each author.
During the classes, studio participants master a variety of artistic techniques and genres: thematic
composition, sketching, landscape, veduta (cityscape), marina, portrait, abstract-associative
composition, digital art, and collage. The exhibition presents works made in watercolour, gouache,
acrylic, oil paints, as well as decorative painting, vytynanka, Easter egg carving, mosaic, painting on glass,
ceramics and fabric.
Art classes as therapy
ArtUA Limerick studio is more than just an educational space. It is a community that helps to overcome
stress and adapt to a new environment through creativity. Here everyone can express their emotions
through art, find like-minded people, and feel like part of a large creative family. Most participants
started without prior artistic experience. For many, the classes were their first introduction to the basics
of fine art. The educational process was full of discoveries and exciting moments: step by step, the
studio students mastered various techniques, learned to work with colour, form and composition.
Most importantly, these classes became a real support for each participant by turning into a kind of art-
therapy. In these creative classes, people find not only artistic inspiration, but also an opportunity for
spiritual communication, exchange of thoughts and feelings. The presented exhibition is a culmination
of this path of soul-searching: each work tells its own story and is a unique reflection of the author's
individual vision, and a manifestation of an original style.