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Ukraine war chronicled in 50-metre-long painting

Maisie LillywhiteGloucestershire
News imageBBC A male artist with short grey hair, who is wearing thick black framed glasses and a black T-shirt. He is standing in a room which has his 50 metre long painting running along the walls.BBC
Russell Haines has recalled some of the Ukrainians he has met on his travels to the country through the medium of painting

A 50-metre-long (164ft) painting depicting a city's response to the war in Ukraine is going on display for a month before being taken to the Eastern European country.

Gloucester artist Russell Haines has been painting Lines of Resistance, which chronicles the stories of Ukrainian families who found a new home in the city and residents who volunteered to deliver aid.

The painting is not finished, as Haines said "the story belongs to more than one artist". During the exhibition, which launches on Thursday, he will invite visitors to add their own words for the people of Ukraine.

Ukrainian people will have the opportunity to send messages to Gloucester residents when the painting arrives there.

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News imageA painting of a Ukrainian soldier carrying a large gun. The background is composed of mostly blue with red, yellow and green, and features messages in Ukrainian and English regarding the war in Ukraine.

Haines has been working on the painting in a unit at The Shirt Factory in Derby Road.

The artwork also tells the story of "aid workers, artists, soldiers and ordinary people I have met through my journeys across Ukraine", he said.

News imageTwo scenes of a painting depicting the same Ukrainian soldier. The first shows a look of fear in his eyes as he looks directly at the viewer while the other shows him looking into the distance from below. He is painted onto a blue background, surrounded by Ukrainian and English messages related to the war in Ukraine.
News imageA painting showing Ukrainian people affected by the war. In one scene, a Ukrainian soldier looks into the distance and, in another, a different Ukrainian soldier hugs an old woman wearing an orange coat and hat. The background is blue and there is emotive writing surrounding the figures.

Visitors will be able to see the painting and add to it for a month from Thursday.

Children, families, community groups, Ukrainian refugees and Gloucester residents are all being invited to add to the painting.

"People can write their own messages of friendship, hope, resistance, peace and solidarity directly onto the painting," Haines said.

News imageA painting showing different angles of the same girl against a map of Ukraine and an aid truck. She has a tattoo on her neck and is wearing a blue hoodie and a green jacket with a fluffy collar.
News imageSide-by-side paintings depicting an older man and woman. They are painted on a blue background. The man has dark grey hair combed over to one side, a similarly coloured moustache, and is wearing a blue shirt and a dark jacket. The woman has short blonde hair and is wearing a whit top and a blue jacket.

Haines added: "When Lines of Resistance goes to Ukraine, the messages written in Gloucester will travel with it — carrying the voices of our city across borders and reminding people thousands of miles away that they have not been forgotten."

Eventually the painting will return to Gloucester, covered in messages from Ukraine.

News imageA painting profiling two different people, an older woman and an older man with glasses and a handlebar moustache. Their stories of the war in Ukraine have been painted on the blue background behind them.

Speaking about his inspiration for the artwork, Haines said: "Gloucester came together and sent truckloads of aid [to Ukraine] and did some amazing things and I just wanted to celebrate what Gloucester did."

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