Milestones: A Journey in Colour

13 - 23 June 2025 / Open daily 10:30am - 5pm (closed 15 and 16 June)
The Pier Arts Centre
28-36 Victoria St, Stromness, KW16 3AA
Free

Parking can be found on Ferry Road, approximately 500 meters from the gallery. On arrival at the Pier Arts Centre, there is not an automatically opening door. If you require assistance to enter, please knock at the glass door and one of the staff will be happy to help. Once inside, there is a lift which allows access to all floors of the gallery. There are accessible toilets on each floor.

Visual Art

Over the past year, a group of Ukrainian refugees resettling in Orkney have met for regular art sessions, which became both a creative outlet and a space to process trauma.

This exhibition brings together their artwork and personal stories, capturing moments of resilience and growth amidst adversity.

Each piece marks a significant milestone – whether it evokes the courage of picking up a paintbrush for the first time, speaking a new language, or reconnecting with a formerly distant sense of home. Other pieces reflect on grief, memories of a lost life, and the quiet victories of making a new home in an unfamiliar place.

You are invited to step into the lived experiences of those who have been forced to rebuild their lives in the wake of war, with the understanding that each milestone is a testament to the strength of the human spirit in the face of loss and uncertainty.

Image credit: “Path” by Alona Petliarska