The Monaco-based Help for Ukraine collective has opened an ephemeral exhibition called Children of War on Quai Antoine Ier. The images, which portray the nation’s youth dressed in their smartest attire yet surrounded by crumbling buildings and war-torn classrooms, portray the devastating impact the ongoing conflict with Russia is having on the nation’s youth.

With the support of the Mairie de Monaco and the AIAP UNESCO Committee, the Children of War exhibition is currently being hosted at the International Association of Plastic Arts (AIAP) on Quai Antoine Ier. It was inaugurated in the presence of Nathalie Vaccarezza, a municipal councillor in Monaco, as well as Zhanna Bubka, Kateryna Feday and Svitlana Legka from the Svitlii Foundation, a charity that provides humanitarian aid to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and injured civilians.

The exhibition seeks to shed light on the plight of children and young people in Ukraine, who have lost so much amid the devastation caused by the conflict with Russia. Dressed in ballgowns and smart suits against a backdrop of ruined buildings, the photographs highlight how once joyful milestones in their young lives have been irrecoverably tarnished by the war.

The exhibition will only be on show for a short time; it is open to the public free of charge until 30th January. The AIAP is open daily from 2pm until 7pm.

To see more of the exhibition, click on the images below:

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Photo source: Mairie de Monaco