Launched by refugee Ukrainian artist Viktoria Berežina, KolkjART is intended as a place for reflection and recovery.

"I wanted to create something where people can go to escape everything —the bustle, noise, stress and war," Berežina said. "A safe space where nature and art come together, and you can take in the art with your soul and body."

Its opening exhibition, "Mycelium", brings together works by 12 Estonian and 12 Ukrainian artists across Estonia, Sweden, Finland and Latvia, using the underground fungal network as a metaphor.

"Like fungal networks hidden beneath the forest floor, these connections create a shared foundation of resilience, mutual support and cultural continuity, especially in times of displacement, transformation and uncertainty," the gallery writes.

The show includes works spanning painting, ceramics, installation, photography, collage, illustration and street art.

"We wanted to draw these parallels: that even despite the terrible circumstances and the fact that we're scattered across the world, art continues to bring us together," Berežina added.

Wells and fires

Among the featured works, Ukraine-born artist Anastasiia Tereshchenko, now based in Sweden, transformed an abandoned well in the backyard into a mirrored installation.

"A well is typically a symbol of depth and introspection," she said. "I wanted the surface to reflect the present moment instead."

Fellow artist Konstantin Tereshchenko created a mural on the gallery's exterior inspired by memories of his home in Ukraine's Kherson region. The work depicts a favorite landscape, with a campfire symbolizing life.

"The firewood is stacked to form the letter Ж, the first letter of the Ukrainian word for 'life,'" he added.

"Mycelium" runs through the end of September, with pastries baked by Berezina's mother available to visitors on site.

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