e-Directory of Ukrainian Women Success Stories ARTISTIC CRAFTS & BEAUTY
Colours from exile, Romania
Artistic profile
Ukrainian woman, a 41 year old artist originally from Nicolaev, Ukraine, currently lives in Oradea, Romania. She graduated from the National University of Shipbuilding “Admiral Makarov”, where she studied interior design, and holds a master’s degree in psychology from the International Classical University “Pilip Orlyk”. Her artistic activity is focused on figurative painting, deeply influenced by Slavic aesthetics and Ukrainian symbolism, reflecting a strong emotional connection to her cultural roots. She works from home, freelance, and her work is exhibited and sold in local exhibitions, online and in the refugee community. The prices for her artworks typically start at around 200 lei. Her community involvement includes organizing painting workshops for Ukrainian children and donating artworks to social and charitable causes.
Art as a refuge, art as a path
Ukrainian woman did not come to Romania with grand plans or career strategies. She came with a box of paintbrushes, a few tubes of colour and a heart overwhelmed with grief. In June 2022, when she crossed the border from a burning Ukraine, she knew nothing about the city of Oradea. But she knew immediately that she would not give up painting – because painting was all she had left.
She had been painting since childhood. She had studied interior design at the Admiral Makarov University of Naval Constructions and had a master’s degree in psychology, but her true language was colour. In Ukraine she painted in her studio, but in Romania she moved her studio to the kitchen. No special lights, no dedicated spaces, just a simple table and a window through which the morning light came in. And that was enough.
Roots aesthetics: Ukrainian symbols in a Romanian context
Ukrainian woman’s artistic style is figurative, but subtly laden with symbols. Inspired by Slavic nature, Ukrainian ethnographic elements and the Mediterranean vibes of the place where she took refuge, she constructs images that communicate without words. She paints flowers, women, fields, fields, wide skies and birds – but in all of them there is a crumb of collective memory, a silent testimony to what it means to be Ukrainian far from home.
Each work contains a recognizable sign – a traditional flower, a texture inspired by folk embroidery, a colour scheme that references the country’s flag. Her art is not declarative or didactic, but a deeply emotional one that brings Ukraine into a local context without imposing it. It is a form of visual dialog between two cultures.
A studio open to the community
In the absence of her own gallery, Ukrainian woman has built a community. She started selling her work through local Facebook groups, participated in small art exhibitions in Oradea and was invited to events organized by cultural centres and local refugee initiatives. Her paintings are offered at accessible prices, but enough to make a decent living and give her the resources to continue.
She has also organized workshops for Ukrainian children and teenagers, giving them not only painting lessons but also a space where they can feel seen, understood, reassured. In one of the charity projects, one of her works was auctioned to support refugee families. Through this, Ukrainian woman became not only a painter, but also a facilitator of hope through art.
Art as a voice, art as a bridge
Although she doesn’t get wide exposure or a professional sales network, Ukrainian woman manages to turn each painting into a gesture of connection. In the eyes of those who look at her work, she sees wonder, curiosity, excitement. Some know nothing about Ukraine, but through her paintings they begin to feel. Art becomes a universal language – and at the same time a subtle bridge between two otherwise separate worlds.
She describes her work as a quiet mission: to help people in Romania discover Ukraine through culture rather than headlines. She paints not for fame, but for truth. She promotes not her nationality, but her culture. She does not ask for empathy but offers beauty. In an uncertain exile, she managed to create stability through colour.
More than survival: rebirth
Ukrainian woman does not consider herself a survivor, even though she has lost everything. She considers herself a woman who has rewritten her life in layers of colour. In a foreign city, without her own studio, without resources, she managed to create. She transformed the kitchen into a gallery, longing into a palette of warm tones and suffering into an act of visual resistance.
Today, Ukrainian woman’s paintings are scattered in many corners of Oradea – in homes, in communities, in public spaces. Each painting bears a part of her journey. Each colour tells a story that cannot be erased by war.
Media Sources of the Story
Based on publicly available interviews, local media articles, and cultural reports.
Self-reflection questions
Now let’s reflect on the story. Read the following questions and try answering it.
- Which aspects of the journey do you find most inspiring or impactful?
- What challenges faced by women in similar situations do you recognize in this story?
- How would you deal with such challenges if you were in her position?
- In your opinion, which strategies used in this story may serve as good examples for others?
- Which skills do you think played the most important role in Ukrainian woman’s success?
Self-check questions
Read each of the 5 questions carefully and select the best answer from the options provided.