True Blue & a Little Bit of Yellow, in collaboration with CBD Gallery, presented a fundraising exhibition in the heart of Sydney titled A Love Letter to the Ocean.
Created by five artists of Ukrainian heritage, the exhibition was dedicated to the water element and to a shared love of the ocean. Working across different styles and mediums — from ancient techniques and classicism to impressionism, divisionism, and fine art photography — the artists invited viewers to dive into blue, touched gently with yellow.
We extend our sincere gratitude to Xiaoxiao Zhang for her invaluable support in providing CBD Gallery as the venue for this fundraiser, and for her continued support of Ukraine.
The exhibition was held at CBD Gallery, Sydney, from 6–19 October 2023
My Master of Design (Hon.) at COFA, UNSW focused on one question: How can we improve children’s engagement with printed materials to support better learning outcomes? My research shows that the more areas of the brain engaged in processing information, the stronger the memorisation and recall. I explored how to activate as many of these pathways as possible — story for narrative memory, colour for emotional response, sound and action for sensory cues, spatial awareness for orientation, and visual coding for recognition. In short: designing visuals that teach, entertain, and stay in a child’s memory. But my journey with children’s design began long before my Master’s. Over the years, I’ve illustrated several children’s books and created my own comic book about the adventures of a Ukrainian boy in Australia — writing 20 stories and drawing all of the comic illustrations myself. These projects shaped my understanding of how we see, learn, and connect with visual narratives — a foundation that continues to guide my work today.
Our double solo exhibition at Chatswood Art Space on The Concourse was an experience we will long remember. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who visited, supported the exhibition, and purchased artworks — your engagement made this show truly meaningful. Out of my 28 artworks presented (18 on the walls and 10 in storage), 19 have found new homes. Over the ten days of the exhibition, we had the privilege of speaking with around 600 visitors, and we are deeply grateful for the thoughtful feedback and personal stories shared along the way. Special thanks go to the Willoughby Council staff and Mayor Tanya Taylor for their support and smooth organisation. We are also thankful to our guest speaker Alan Davies and musician Viktoria Stepanenko, whose contributions added depth and warmth to the opening evening. The atmosphere throughout the exhibition was generous and engaging. We hope visitors carried a sense of positivity with them, and perhaps a renewed desire to connect with nature — something art does best when it is shared.
