Growing up in Lviv in western Ukraine, Les was never drawn to the capital, Kyiv. “It was too loud and busy compared with where I’m from,” he says. But in 2016, while working as an artist, he decided to host an exhibition there to gain more exposure. “I was working as a videographer to make money, and as a painter. I wanted to showcase my collection of animal paintings.”
He joined a local social network to advertise his exhibition. That’s where he met Anna, who was based in Kyiv. “I was working seven days a week, doing admin during the week and working for a beauty salon at the weekends,” she says. She was also busy looking after her five-year-old daughter. “I joined the site to find people to have small talk with, because I had no time for meeting anyone.”
