Art For Freedom: Unseen Civilians – Exhibition in Paris

On December 11, at the Ukrainian Cultural Center in France, PR Army NGO, in collaboration with Common Sense Communications NGO, Pictoric, and the Heinrich Böll Foundation, presented the exhibition “Art For Freedom: Unseen Civilians.”

‍This project aims to shed light on the stories of Ukrainian and foreign civilians who have been unlawfully detained by Russia since the full-scale invasion began. Through 10 impactful works created by artists from Ukraine, Portugal, Germany, and France, the exhibition tells the stories of volunteers, drivers, and residents of occupied cities—ordinary people whose lives were torn apart. Many of them remain missing, and their fates unknown.

One of the participating artists, Hubert Poirot-Bourdain, is a French illustrator specializing in children’s publishing and press. Hubert, who lives and works in Le Mans, collaborates with leading European newspapers and magazines, including le 1 hebdo, Die Zeit, and l’Équipe Magazine. Known for his vibrant storytelling style using Indian ink and bright colors, Hubert has a long-standing connection to Ukraine. In 2016, he created a book dedicated to Ukraine and the events in Donbas, traveling to the country to conduct interviews and gather information.

For this exhibition, Hubert’s work is dedicated to the story of Serhii Shpak, a driver and volunteer from Mykolaivka, Kyiv region, who remains unlawfully detained.

The Story of Serhii Shpak
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On March 18, 2022, while delivering humanitarian aid with three others in Mykolaivka, Serhii encountered a column of Russian forces. The soldiers stripped the men of their shirts, searched for tattoos, lined them up against a fence, taped their eyes and hands, and brought them to "the foundry" — a plant in Dymer where Russian forces were holding civilians.On March 22, the men were loaded into trucks and transported to Hostomel, then to Belarus, and eventually to Russia. According to Russian authorities and the Red Cross, Serhii is currently being held in a colony in Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Rostov region.


The exhibition brought together the Parisian community and international audiences to raise awareness and advocate for justice.We thank our partners for making this project possible and invite everyone to continue supporting efforts to bring these stories to light. Together, we can help give these people a voice and a chance for freedom.

The exhibition brought together the Parisian community and international audiences to raise awareness and advocate for justice.

We thank our partners for making this project possible and invite everyone to continue supporting efforts to bring these stories to light. Together, we can help give these people a voice and a chance for freedom.