Ukrainian refugee artist shows 'the beauty of the world' at Lisbon's Estrela Basilica

Veronika Blyzniuchenko had recently been in Portugal when she heard a bird singing. It was a blackbird: "I heard a marvellous song, but I didn't know which bird it was. When I met the blackbird, I started including it in all the gardens I paint. For me, it's a bird that represents the peace I find here."

Already a well-known artist in her country, Veronika left Kharkiv, Ukraine, for Portugal just ten days after the outbreak of war sparked by Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. It was one of the collectors of her work who persuaded her to come to the country.

Giving up painting was never an option: "For me, art is like breathing. It's something I can't stop doing. When the war broke out, this was reflected in everyone around me, but I felt I had to continue making my art, to share the beauty of this world," she says.

One of the first places to catch her eye was the Estrela Basilica, one of Lisbon's main churches. Looking up at the cloisters from the dome, she realised that one of the wings, which includes a magnificent cloister, was closed.

She then managed to convince those responsible for the Basilica to let her occupy the site, which hadn't been open to the public for around 40 years. It is there that she paints her pictures every day and has been showing her exhibition "The Beauty is a Choice" since January 2024. Originally planned to last just two months, it has been on show for over a year and a half and is constantly being added to with new works.

Veronika spends her days painting here. Not only does she paint, but she also looks after the gardens: "This is where I get inspiration for my art, my gardens and my pieces in general. You can see the fountain and the view of the Basilica here. I grow the flowers and take care of the garden with my own hands, every day, for over a year now," she explains, smiling.

The exhibition includes various phases of Veronika's work - expressionism, abstract art and religious art, a facet she only discovered after starting to work in the Basilica.

There is also a room dedicated to an installation made up of stars, scattered across the wall and ceiling - each visitor can buy a star painted by Veronika for 50 euros and contribute to the rehabilitation of this wing of the Estrela Basilica.