\n Virtual sunrises, a giant sculpture of a purring cat and a soundproof booth you can scream into -- the installations at Kyiv's \"Third Wind\" exhibition may seem like a bit of light-hearted fun.\n<\/p>\n
\n But for the show's organisers, among them leading psychologists and mental health experts, the art has a very serious purpose: to help Ukrainians de-stress and explore their emotions after three years of war.\n<\/p>\n
\n Russia's invasion has triggered a mental health crisis in Ukraine, with more than half of respondents to a recent survey feeling \"anxiety and tension\".\n<\/p>\n
\n If only for a brief moment, the installations offer visitors a much-needed mental break from the war and help them \"release tension, cry or smile a little\", said curator Yulia Solovey.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"Above all, it's about giving people the strength to keep moving forward,\" she told AFP.\n<\/p>\n
\n The exhibition has proven wildly popular, with nearly 100,000 people visiting within the space of a month.\n<\/p>\n
\n Among them was 41-year-old resident Inna Purgan, who came seeking a \"return to childhood\" after a weekend of Russian strikes.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"It was very stressful, I couldn't sleep because of the drones and explosions,\" she told AFP.\n<\/p>\n
\n After letting out a high-pitched scream in a soundproof booth, one of the interactive experiences, she said she felt a little better.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"It makes you feel lighter!\" she said with a smile.\n<\/p>\n
\n The exhibition's name is a play on \"second wind\", a burst of energy experienced during moments of exhaustion.\n<\/p>\n
\n It is a feeling many Ukrainians relate to in their fourth year of war, with the exhibition inviting visitors to answer the question \"What helps me move forward?\", said Solovey.\n<\/p>\n
\n - 'Shut down emotionally' -\n<\/p>\n
\n According to state-backed mental health organisation \"Ti Yak\", which means \"How are you?\", Russia's war and its challenges remain the number one source of psychological stress for Ukrainians.\n<\/p>\n
\n Theatre worker Anastasia Storozhenko and her husband Viktor, a soldier in the military, are no exception.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"It's really hard if you don't try to escape to another reality,\" said 31-year-old Anastasia.\n<\/p>\n
\n The couple were actors, and much of their work before the war revolved around emotions.\n<\/p>\n
\n Wearing a virtual reality headset transporting them to the Himalayas, she and her husband smiled ear to ear at the exhibit.\n<\/p>\n
\n The young mother said she reminded herself she had to keep living, if not for herself, then for her child.\n<\/p>\n
\n But Viktor has struggled to express his emotions since he joined the military.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"I've shut down emotionally,\" he said.\n<\/p>\n
\n Surrounded by colourful decor, laughter and music, he started smiling.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"It helps a lot, life continues... emotions... And no more boom boom,\" he tried to explain, imitating missile blasts.\n<\/p>\n
\n Nearby, other visitors were learning dance moves, while others embraced in front of a screen displaying a sunrise -- meant to symbolise hope.\n<\/p>\n
\n Half of the proceeds from the tickets will go to an NGO making prosthetics for veterans who have amputations, the organisers said.\n<\/p>\n
\n Once the exhibition ends, its installations will be moved to rehabilitation centres for soldiers and civilians recovering from trauma.\n<\/p>\n
\n - 'Childish state' -\n<\/p>\n
\n On a black wall, visitors were invited to draw colourful chalk messages.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"I'm alive\", \"I feel my heart beating\", \"Welcome to Ukraine-controlled territory\" and a few swear words scribbled by children were among them.\n<\/p>\n
\n Wearing rubber boots, army rehabilitation worker Natalya Novikova and her husband Vadym splashed around in puddles of water in one of the rooms.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"You can stop feeling the pressure of being an adult for a moment,\" said Vadym, catching his breath before reverting to seriousness to scold children who splashed him.\n<\/p>\n
\n Both come from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine -- Vadym is from Sevastopol in the annexed Crimean peninsula, Natalya from the eastern Donetsk region.\n<\/p>\n
\n Natalya left her native Donetsk region in 2014, when Moscow-backed separatists fomented an uprising in the area.\n<\/p>\n
\n She had resettled in Bucha, where Russian troops were accused of committing war crimes in early 2022.\n<\/p>\n
\n The heavy emotional toll of the war was lifted, albeit briefly, by the exhibition, she said.\n<\/p>\n
\n She said it brought her into \"an animal, childish state.\"\n<\/p>\n
\n \"I didn't expect it to do much to me, but actually it's amazing.\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Virtual sunrises, a giant sculpture of a purring cat and a soundproof booth you can scream into -- the installations at Kyiv's \"Third Wind\" exhibition may seem like a bit of light-hearted fun. But for the show's organisers, among them leading psychologists and mental health experts, the art has a very serious purpose: to help […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[553],"tags":[],"ji_location":[],"class_list":["post-146044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-feed"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n