Ukrainian Artists Exhibit Icons Painted on War Debris at Collège des Bernardins

An exhibition titled 'Icônes de paix. Les artistes sur le front en Ukraine' is being held at the Collège des Bernardins in Paris from March 31 to April 6, 2026. The show features works by Ukrainian artists Sonya Atlantova, Oleksandr Klymenko, and Herman Klymenko, who have been creating since 2015. They paint Byzantine-style icons, such as the Virgin and Child, on wooden fragments from ammunition crates recovered from combat zones in Ukraine. This artistic practice transforms materials associated with violence into surfaces for spiritual imagery, aiming to reverse their symbolic meaning. The project supports humanitarian efforts and aid programs for both military and civilian victims of the conflict. The exhibition is part of the 'Voyage en Ukraine' cultural season of Ukraine in France from 2025 to 2026, organized by the Institut français and the Institut ukrainien en France. It also involves partnerships with the Institut chrétien d'Orient and the association 'Pour l'Ukraine, pour leur liberté et la nôtre,' focusing on peace-building and future justice. The works have been displayed internationally, including in Kyiv and Rome, and at the Collège des Bernardins, their silent presence offers a meditative contrast to current events. The artists use war remnants like ruins and shards to confront reality directly, refusing to let these fragments be defined solely by destruction.