The Library is pleased to be the first venue in Northern Ireland to host a special exhibition, Icons on Ammo Boxes, with art works by Ukrainian artists Sonya Atlantova and Oleksandr Klymenko. The artworks are painted on the bases of empty ammunition boxes from Ukraine.
The exhibition will run from Thursday 9 October to Friday 24 October, following the Library’s normal opening hours.
The artists Sonya Atlantova and Oleksandr Klymenko (Kyiv, Ukraine) chose to combine two contrasting objects in their artwork: ammunition boxes and religious icons. Their aim is to transform death, linking with the ammunition box, into life, shown in Ukrainian life by an icon. The artists believe that the icons, painted on boxes brought from the war zone, are silent yet eloquent witnesses of the war. The boxes also play another important role: the artwork is for sale, with proceeds going towards ambulances and evacuation vehicles on the front line in Ukraine.
The exhibition has been on display in a wide range of venues throughout Europe, and most recently in Scotland. Armagh Robinson Library has had the pleasure of working with Ukrainian families who are living in County Armagh and the Library wants to continue this valued link with them. We are holding a special open night on Thursday 9 October 2025 from 7.30pm in the Library.
Speaking ahead of the open night, one of the Ukrainian mothers, Inna Shynkevich said,
This exhibition is very special to us because it shows how even in the darkest times, life and hope can be born out of destruction. We are honoured to bring it to Northern Ireland for the first time, and I sincerely hope that more venues across the region will open their doors so that as many people as possible can see these powerful works.
The Keeper of the Library, the Very Revd Shane Forster, added,
We are deeply humbled to receive and have the opportunity to display these beautiful Ukrainian icons. They tell a story of a war-torn land, of death, destruction and despair, but also of hope, faith and light in the midst of the darkest of times.
