Ukrainian-Finnish comic book project exhibition – Helsinki Comics Festival

The project brings together contemporary Ukrainian and Finnish comics creators and emphasises the importance of support for Ukraine.

The collaboration includes the Ukrainian publishing house Vydavnytstvo, the contemporary comics association Kutikuti, and the Helsinki Comics Festival. The comics will also be published in the Kuti magazine at the end of the year.

The festival’s theme for the year is “Together,” which also highlights the importance of cooperation during difficult times. There is an emerging comics culture in Ukraine, and Ukrainian comics will be showcased at Helsinki Comics Festival for the first time this year.

Terhi Ekebom (b. 1971) is a Helsinki-based comics and visual artist, illustrator, and muralist, who has been awarded the Puupäähattu prize. Her work often features themes of nature and the depiction of emotions.

Ivanda Jansone (b. 1982) is a Helsinki-based comic and visual artist specialising in silent storytelling. Her most well-known publication is Black and White Masterpiece (2023).

Ivan Kypibida (b. 1995) is an illustrator, comic creator, and art lecturer from Lviv. His illustrated book A Short History of the Long War (2025) is the most famous Ukrainian comic book and has been translated into several languages, including Finnish. Other works include A Short History of Ukrainian Feminism (2022) and A Short History of Ukrainian Literature (2024).

Ton Melnyk (b. 1988) is a Kyiv-based textile and comic artist and activist living in Finland since 2022. Their works explore themes such as queer topics, community, history, and war. They are working on a long-form documentary comic about Holodomor through their grandmother’s story.

Sofija Sulii (b. 1995) is a Lviv-based comics artist who has published several comics in her home country and internationally, including the book A Short History of Ukrainian Borscht (2023).

Aino Sutinen (b. 1983) is a Helsinki-based comics creator, illustrator, and editor-in-chief of Sarjainfo magazine, who specialises in documentary topics.

Sofija Tomilenko (b. 1998) is a Kyiv-based children’s book author and comics artist. Her latest work is A Short History of Ukrainian Sex (2026).

Julija Vus (b. 1996) is a Lviv-based illustrator, comics creator, and art teacher, who has illustrated comics such as A Short History of the Long War (Finnish edition 2025), A Short History of Ukrainian Feminism (2022), and A Short History of Ukrainian Literature (2024).