Award winning war artist lauches Child of War exhibition at Ukrainian Catholic cathedral
Award winning war artist Arabella Dorman this week opened a major new exhibition at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London, created in response to current global events and Dorman’s experience of working as a war artist across the Middle East and Ukraine. Showcasing her latest paintings and installation work alongside artwork by children from around the world, Child of War explores the devastating consequences of conflict from a child’s perspective, as seen and told through their own hands and voices.
Held in collaboration with the mental health charity Beyond Conflict and the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, the exhibition features art and literature by children from Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan and Britain. Curated by Dorman and based on her first-hand experience as a war artist for nearly two decades, the exhibition forms a dialogue between the artist and the child, revealing the profound and lasting psychological impact of conflict-related trauma, the possibility of hope and renewal, and the ways in which children of today may be rehabilitated and supported in our increasingly divided and violent world.
Our Exhibition opened on Wednesday with a VIP Launch, with Martin Bell OBE, the UNICEF Ambassador and veteran war correspondent as keynote speaker, together with Christina Lamb OBE, Sunday Times Chief Foreign Correspondent.
Child of War showcases Dorman’s new paintings inspired by her recent trip to Ukraine with Beyond Conflict and events across the Middle East, as well as a powerful installation of artefacts from a bombed school in Kyiv and large-scale collages depicting hundreds of images and words from children around the world.
“As silent victims, it is children who stand on the frontline of the world’s most devastating conflicts, bearing the brunt of unspeakable violence, trauma and loss,” said Arabella.
Martin Bell, the legendary war reporter, said: “From experience I know that the principal victims of modern warfare are civilians, and among these the children are the most vulnerable.”
Edna Fernandes, Beyond Conflict Co-Founder and Director who joined Dorman on a visit to Ukraine last year, said: “This landmark Exhibition bears witness to the silenced voices of the innocents. War destroys countries but, importantly, by destroying children it destroys the world’s future. The damage to a child’s mental health reverberates long after the bombs have fallen silent and it is a violence that will echo for generations to come, unless we as a world confront it. This is why we want Child of War to start a national conversation on the impact of war on children, their mental health and their futures. We need change now.”
The Exhibition is the result of nearly two decades of Dorman’s work in war zones, as well as the fruit of her work as Ambassador with Beyond Conflict. The Exhibition is in collaboration with the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, the Ukrainian Welcome Centre (UWC) and War Through Children’s Eyes (WTCE).
Curated by Dorman and based on her first-hand experience as a war artist, the exhibition forms a powerful dialogue between artist and child, revealing the profound and lasting psychological impact of conflict-related trauma, the possibility of hope and renewal, and the ways in which children of war may be rehabilitated and supported in our increasingly divided and violent world.
The Exhibition runs at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London until June 6, 2024 before travelling onwards to schools, places of worship and secular venues with the aim of raising awareness about the mental health impact of war on children and funds to help those affected.
Child of War is a collaborative exhibition, held in partnership with Beyond Conflict, the Ukrainian Welcome Centre, the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral & War through Children’s Eyes.
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