On December 6, Kolomyia hosted Hanna Kisilishyna’s exhibition “47.82846°N 37.71093°E,” honoring her son and other fallen soldiers, reflecting war, loss, and resilience through 13 paintings.
On December 6, the support space “Hart” in Kolomyia, Ivano-Frankivsk region, hosted the opening of the personal exhibition of paintings by Hanna Kisilishyna, the mother of a fallen “Azov” soldier from Mariupol, titled “47.82846°N 37.71093°E.” The exhibition’s name represents the coordinates of barrack No. 200 in Olenivka, where Russian forces carried out a terrorist attack on the night of July 28–29, 2022. Among the prisoners of war killed was the artist’s son, Oleksii Kisilishyn.
Read more about the exhibition’s concept and art therapy in the report by Suspilne.
The series “47.82846°N 37.71093°E” includes 13 paintings. The artist decided to create it after meeting her son’s comrade, who was released from captivity in the fall of 2024. Hanna Kisilishyna explains that the paintings reflect her personal experiences in Mariupol during the war and her grief after losing her son.
“Art, in one word, is God. Because art and creativity save. I actually work with the mothers of fallen heroes, conducting art therapy sessions. And I see how it gives even a drop of life. I wanted to tell and convey to people the events I experienced in Mariupol. That’s where this series of paintings begins. And the second message is to show through art what can happen thanks to the love that exists within,” the artist says.
The artist’s son, Oleksii Kisilishyn, joined “Azov” when he was 17. He fought from 2014 to 2016 and returned to the front after Russia’s full-scale invasion. The soldier was killed in the Olenivka prison attack. The mother incorporated some of her son’s traits and sense of humor into one of the paintings.
“There is a work called ‘Selfie with Berehynia.’ It’s a bit ironic. I painted Oleksii’s image in another light, in a different dimension. And there he is, taking a selfie with Madonna or with Berehynia. He always smiled. That’s how this painting came about — it shows that even there, you can take a selfie,” the artist explains.
Hanna Kisilishyna says she wants to tell people about the war through her works. In the painting “The Road of Life and Death,” she depicted the evacuation route of people from Mariupol.
“When we were leaving Mariupol, people were coming toward us, including a young woman carrying a newborn in her arms. I saw her eyes, and I will never forget them. She was walking from the center of a city that had just been shelled. Everything was on fire; there was nowhere left to hide. People were walking like zombies. There was no understanding of where to go. We were in a horror movie. I will never forget that mother’s eyes. I don’t know if she and her child survived, but people were heading to the places they were told could save their lives,” she adds.
The initiator of the exhibition at the “Hart” space in Kolomyia and veteran support specialist Iryna Bordun says the event was timed to coincide with the Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It aimed to honor fallen soldiers and support their families.
“We need to talk about prisoners of war, about the fallen, and remind people that we are at war. Any community gatherings help provide psychological support. It’s about memory, about transforming your pain, even just a little, into love. Some do this through poetry, others through drawings. Hanna Kisilishyna shows by example how to process pain and the loss of an only son,” Iryna Bordun says.
The exhibition was attended by families of soldiers and internally displaced persons. Among the visitors was Iryna Kub from Enerhodar. She says she sees every soldier as her own son.
“I feel it is my duty to be here. This is a calling of my heart. I deeply value all defenders of Ukraine. I want to thank all the mothers who raised true heroes — our defenders. I am here because my son is also a soldier. All this pain has gone through me. I am proud of Hanna — the mother who lost the most precious thing she had. Despite this, she has the strength to call on everyone to support our fighters and remember those who died for us,” says Iryna Kub.
Hanna Kisilishyna’s exhibition has previously been presented in Kyiv, Lviv, and Ivano-Frankivsk.
