Our featured Artist in Residence Lera Ilinska is a Ukrainian artist living in Girvan since January 2024.

A refugee from the Russian war in her home country, she specialises in painting, book illustration, ceramics and sculpture.

She is a graduate of the Kharkiv Academy of Design and Arts and has participated in both international and national exhibitions.

In addition to being an accomplished artist, Lera is also qualified in restoration and has been involved in restoring many museum paintings and temple iconography.

Worked with museum collections in Crimea, at the Vorontsov Palace, at the All Saints Monastery in Odesa, in an Old Believer church, and in women’s monasteries, restoring icons and wall frescoes that had been damaged and painted over during the Soviet era when religion was banned.

She continues to support Ukraine by volunteering and raising funds for humanitarian aid and protective gear for soldiers and medical personnel, helping to save lives on the front line.

This exhibition is a tribute to Scotland —

A gratitude to the healing beauty of Scotland’s nature, where peace and a sense of safety are restored.

The Scottish landscapes of Ayrshire are combined with traditional Ukrainian ornaments, which are an ancient sacred visual language.

This symbolic language conveys knowledge, a philosophy of unity, and spiritual visions of the world. It also serves as a coded protective charm.

Ukrainian ornaments woven into the landscapes symbolize the restoration of the Ukrainian people in a safe and beautiful Scotland.

They also represent a subtle emotional connection between people who speak different languages — a unity between the natural worlds of different countries, which communicate in a shared language: the language of feeling and life.

She also volunteers and participates in the creative life of the CRAG Girvan and NARTURE art communities in Ayr, to better understand local art and to share and exchange experiences.

Entry is free.

Opening Hours
Monday: Closed
Tuesday – Friday: 12.30pm – 4pm
Saturday: 10.00am – 4.30pm
Sunday: 12.30pm – 4pm