90 Minutes For Creativity: Being An Artist In A Frontline City

My name is Oleksandra Malyshko, and I am an artist living and working in Dnipro, Ukraine. My city is a large, modern industrial hub that remains incredibly resilient, holding onto hope despite being so close to the front lines.

This winter feels like the harshest one yet. The cold inside the apartments is so biting that your hands freeze while you work. We only get electricity for 1.5 to 3 hours a day, which is barely enough to breathe, let alone create. When the power comes on, we rush to do everything at once. Many people here work full-time during the week and only get a glimpse of electricity on weekends.

Despite the darkness, I keep painting. I participate in exhibitions, plan future projects, and keep in touch with the world via email. Life has become a lesson in extreme economy—I’ve even started baking my own bread to save money for art supplies, books, and shipping costs, as prices have soared.

Looking at my recent work, I see a shift. I’ve been painting "flaming" flowers and expressive faces, slowly moving toward conceptual art. It’s an interesting journey, even for me. Because my time under electric light is so limited, I’ve started mixing oil paints with oil pastels. This technique adds unique graphic accents and bold textures that truly satisfy my current vision.

I want to share my latest paintings with you. They are fragments of light born in the shadows of this winter.

I am always open to new connections and would love to hear from you. Let’s be friends on social media—feel free to reach out to me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/art_oleksandra_malyshko/ or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/oleksandra.malisko.656755/ .

I am also sharing photos from the 'Tempered Fortitude' art exhibition, held at the 'Sklad №5' gallery in Cherkasy. This event was dedicated to the legendary Ukrainian poet Vasyl Stus — a symbol of courage and spiritual resistance — and was part of the Stus Fest International Festival. Despite the current circumstances, visitors found solace in the art space, cherishing the chance to connect and find a brief escape from these challenging times through the power of words and colors

More info: Instagram