The latest chapter in a photographic story of more than a dozen Ukrainian women has opened to widespread acclaim at a gallery in Farnham.

There were emotional scenes in the UCA last Thursday as around 80 guests gathered in the Foyer Gallery for a private viewing of Invisible Visible.

The exhibition is the latest in a series by Kyiv photojournalist Natalia Sharomova and the Ukrainian Art Group, with support from the arts world.

Invisible Visible Exhibition Pic 7
The photos feature Ukrainian women who have temporarily settled in and around Farnham. (Tindle/Paul Ferguson)
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Dozens of special guests were invited to last Thursday's viewing in the Foyer Gallery (Natalia Sharomova)

Billed as a “very special project” between London, the National Galleries of Scotland and Farnham, it has also united the UCA, Fast Forward and Creative Response with the results being a powerful collection of collaborative portraits that demand a much closer look.

The portraits, featuring Farnham-based Ukrainian women who have been displaced by war but connected through art and community, reflects the memories, shared traumas and invisible emotional landscapes they carry.

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The Dolina Quartet began their performance with a moving rendition of Ukraine's national anthem. (Tindle/Paul Ferguson)
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Natalia, special guests and organisers are all smiles at the launch event. (Tindle/Paul Ferguson)

“We focus not on what is seen, but what is unseen,” said Natalia, adding: “What is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

“First thing is I want to say, is thank you to all the ladies who were part of the project because it is very special as they opened their souls and their hearts and it’s not easy.”

Cllr Penny Rivers, mayor of Waverley, gave a moving speech saying “we need to be visible, to the invisible” before finishing with a cry of Slava Ukraini.

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Zines, crocheted Ukrainian flowers and a warm welcome at the gallery entrance. (Natalia Sharomova)

She said: “Ours is a world of strain and of difficulty and of war.

“Broken legs are visible, broken parts are invisible. There are many, many people who feel invisible.”

The exhibition is part of a bigger Putting Ourselves in the Picture project funded by the UCA and Arts & Humanities Research Council. Anna Fox, professor for photography at the UCA, said the process had been a “brilliant experience”.