National Library of Lithuania to host exhibition on Ukrainian resistance through comics

The exhibition “10 Years: Documenting Ukrainian Resolve and Resistance” will open at the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania on July 2.

The exhibition brings together stories from Ukraine collected and illustrated by British comic artist, illustrator and educator Sarah Lippett since 2016. The comics begin in Muzychi and Kyiv in the years following Russia’s occupation of Crimea, where Lippett first met Lisa, Taras and Misha and documented their lives amid the uncertainty caused by Russia’s aggression.

After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Lippett returned to the same people to record how the war reshaped their everyday lives. According to the National Library of Lithuania, the exhibition presents the full collection for the first time, alongside a new series created specifically for this exhibition.

Lippett is a UK-based comic artist, illustrator and educator. Her debut graphic novel, “Stan and Nan,” won the Quentin Blake Prize for Narrative at the Royal College of Art and was published by Jonathan Cape in 2016. The book became a Guardian bestseller and was named one of the newspaper’s Books of the Year.

Lippett’s first work of fiction, “Everything Amplified,” co-written with Ziggy Hanaor, was published by Cicada Books in 2025. According to the National Library of Lithuania, it was named a Herald Scotland Book of the Year and recently won a V&A Illustration Award for Adult Fiction. Alongside her graphic novels, Lippett has produced socio-political comics and reportage projects documenting the experiences of communities in the United Kingdom and internationally. She is also co-founder of Onion Press, a small independent risograph press run with Maria Stoian, and lectures in Illustration at the University of Edinburgh.

The exhibition is sponsored by Creative Scotland and NARA. It will be presented in Lithuanian, with English translations available throughout. The translations were prepared by Deividas Slivinskas. During the opening event, visitors will be able to purchase English-language editions of the comics, with all proceeds donated to Ukraine. The publications will also remain available for purchase at the venue after the opening.

The exhibition will be open at the National Library of Lithuania from July 2 to August 25 during the library’s regular hours.

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Main image, image: Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania