Fragile ballerina

Taras Kovalevskyi

Once an interior designer, Taras put down his creative tools and joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion. He began attending art classes while undergoing rehabilitation at the Rivne Regional Veterans’ Hospital, after suffering multiple concussions and serious injuries. Due to barotrauma, Taras has lost much of his hearing and now relies on a hearing aid to make sense of the sounds around him. Severe damage to his eyesight has made glasses a permanent part of his life.Yet the deepest wounds are not all visible — Taras lost his father on the battlefield, fighting side by side. The image of a delicate ballerina reflects what we so often overlook: the immense effort hidden beneath grace. Behind every elegant movement lies relentless discipline, pain, and endurance — much like the quiet strength carried by Taras himself. We may see only the surface, but beneath it is a world of courage, loss, and perseverance.