Teen bedroom art installation shines spotlight on Ukraine's stolen children

"It is a work of political art, intended to evoke the empty rooms of more than 20,500 Ukrainian children unlawfully taken to Russia. The work was on display on Monday at the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels, as delegates from 63 countries and international organisations gathered to discuss how to bring Ukraine's children home. It's essentially a way for someone to step into Ukraine without having to actually travel there, Isaac Yeung, a co-creator of the installation, said."

"Adding to the empty room's unsettling vibe is a barely audible hum, punctuated by occasional explosions and the rattling wind. It creates a tension in your head, in your chest, said Leung, who works for Bird of Light Ukraine, the NGO behind the installation. The room belongs to Artem, a 13-year-old character, whose story is a composite of real testimonies of children who cannot be named."

"With its heavy Soviet furnishings and early 2000s shiny wallpaper, the room is immediately recognisable to anyone who grew up in Ukraine, said co-creator and head of Bird of Light Ukraine Zhanna Galeyeva. Artem lived with his widowed single mother in Ukraine's occupied territories, enduring months of shelling, until Russian soldiers told her to send him to a health camp in Crimea. It is a painful and grim reality for thousands of children and their families."

"Ukrainian authorities have identified more than 20,570 children who have been unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred to Russia. Only 2,133 have returned. The rest have been stripped of their identities, indoctrinated in military camps or put into forced adoption or institutions across 210 locations in Russia and Belarus. Researchers fear this is an underestimate, as Russi"

A political art installation recreates a teenager’s bedroom to evoke the empty rooms of more than 20,500 Ukrainian children unlawfully taken to Russia. The installation was displayed at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels during a meeting of delegates from 63 countries and international organisations focused on returning children. The room includes recognizable details from Ukrainian childhood, heavy Soviet furnishings, and early 2000s wallpaper, alongside a barely audible hum, occasional explosions, and rattling wind. The room belongs to Artem, a 13-year-old character based on composite testimonies. Ukrainian authorities identified over 20,570 deported or forcibly transferred children, with only 2,133 returned, while others face identity stripping, indoctrination, forced adoption, or institutionalization across Russia and Belarus.

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