By Richard Briggs
An art exhibition focusing on Ukrainian women – who, due to the war in their country, relocated to Cheltenham – will be staged in the Regent Arcade this month.
The exhibition of photographs, called Mothers and Daughters of Ukraine: Where is Home?, will be at The Bridge Cafe from Thursday 15 May for around a fortnight – possibly until the end of the month.
It is a collaborative project developed as part of the Fine Art Master’s degree course at the University of Gloucestershire.
Valeria Dushanina-David has teamed up with Lucy Taylor for the project.
Valeria said: “Lucy and I have chosen a collaboration project in the form of a photo reportage about an older generation of Ukrainian women who, due to the pressures and unfortunate circumstances of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, were forced to leave behind their homes and lifestyles.
“They relocated to Cheltenham, where they reunited with their daughters, who had settled in the UK much earlier and became their main source of support.
“This theme is particularly close to my heart, as my own mother is part of that older generation and has been reunited with me after we spent over 20 years apart.
“Our project aims to showcase how difficult it is for these women to find their footing in a different culture, without knowledge of the language and while being cut off from their familiar environment, especially considering they are all between 70 and 85 years old.
“The process of assimilation and integration into a completely unfamiliar environment is highly traumatic.
“They all miss their homes and the life they had before the conflict started, holding onto the hope that they will be able to return ‘next month’ or ‘the month after’.
“Their full dependency on their daughters, who are desperately trying to help them settle and embrace this new chapter of their lives, adds to the complexity.
“As time passes, these women begin to realise that they are not alone, and through their daughters’ networking they eventually form a support group – Mothers of Ukraine.
“They meet once a week at The Bridge Cafe in Cheltenham, providing each other with a strong network to help cope with their shared experiences.
“This group allows them to exchange news, share Christmas presents, celebrate birthdays, swap books, attend theatre performances and concerts together, and communicate in their own language.
“Our project aims to address these issues faced by the older generation as they assimilate into UK life, while also raising the crucial question of what will happen to them in the future. Will they be allowed to stay in the place they now consider home?
“We plan to use photographs of these women and their daughters to highlight the deep connection and support they offer each other during this challenging time in their lives.”
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