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Welcome to TOLI's 2026 Student Art Exhibition!
The 2026 TOLI Student Art Exhibition proudly presents a curated selection of student artwork that reflects not only the creative talent of young artists, but also the deep learning and critical engagement fostered through the guidance of dedicated TOLI educators.
This year, TOLI was honored to receive an extraordinary range of submissions from students around the globe—each piece a unique expression of thought, emotion, and artistic vision. While we are unable to showcase every submission, the works featured in this exhibition represent just a glimpse into the powerful and thought-provoking creations submitted by students participating in TOLI programs worldwide.
These artworks stand as a testament to the transformative power of education, the enduring relevance of Holocaust and human rights education, and the voices of a new generation inspired to make meaning through art.
TOLI's Student Art Exhibition honors the memory of beloved TOLI teacher, Kathy Carlisle from Sacramento, California. Kathy was a high school art teacher, photographer, and painter dedicated to illuminating the lessons of the Holocaust through her and her students' art.
This year, we received over 250 art submissions from Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, Moldova, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Ukraine, and the United States.
Anastasia Kovernichenko
Age 16
Central-City Lyceum
Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Region, Ukraine
The story (illustrated in ballpoint pen) tells about a six-year-old Jewish girl named Rita who lived in Dnipropetrovsk during World War II. When German soldiers came to deport her family, she left her beloved doll with her neighbor Ira, promising to return, but she never did. Years later, Ira kept the doll, Sofiika, as a memory of Rita and passed the story to her granddaughter Hanna so Rita would not be forgotten. During the modern war in Ukraine, Hanna is killed in a missile strike, and the doll symbolically carries on the memory of both girls. In the end, Sofiika becomes a symbol of remembrance, preserving the stories of children who suffered in both the Holocaust and the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Unconceived Fairy Tale: I Want Them Not To Be Forgotten...
Memory of the Past
Anastasia Tambur
Grade 9
Instituția Publică Gimnaziul ,,Eugen Coșeriu”
Catranîc locality, Fălești district, Republic of Moldova
The work is a disturbing visual metaphor for how the bloody history of the Holocaust subsists beneath the fragile layer of the present. Evocatively titled “Memory of the Past,” the drawing not only commemorates the victims but also warns of the depth of the marks left by atrocities in the very fabric of the places we inhabit. The drawing is divided between an everyday, seemingly peaceful urban scene and a “world beneath” that erupts through the broken pavement.
The upper part represents the present: a street with classical architecture, people walking, a vigorous tree. It is life that has continued and covers the wounds of history. The lower part, inverted, reflects memory - the "sky" of this world, the "ponds" of memory. It represents the "upside down" world of concentration camps, where human values were annulled, where life became death and where dignity was trampled underfoot. Other symbols: tank, leafless trees reflected in ponds, old buildings - eyewitnesses of the past.
The Hair Remembers
Polina Fedenko
Age 16
Vilnius Naujamiescio School
Vilnius, Lithuania
This artwork is a quiet tribute to the victims of the Holocaust and the unbreakable bond between generations. At the center is a woman whose image embodies deep reflection and compassion. Her gaze is fixed upward, toward the sky, conveying an internal dialogue with the past. Her long, flowing hair becomes a living river of time: it literally "remembers" the faces and fates of those who were lost, weaving their images into the fabric of history.
In the background, behind rows of barbed wire—a symbol of cruel imprisonment—the faces of prisoners emerge. White birds soaring from her hair represent pure human souls finally finding peace and freedom. In her hands, she tenderly holds white lilies—a fragile and delicate symbol of the children whose lives were cut short during those years. This piece calls us to feel a living connection to every lost soul through contemplation and remembrance.
Echoes of History
Emma Andreea Paveliuc
Age 17
Colegiul National De Arta "Octav Bancila" Iasi
Iași, Romania
The Holocaust remains in history like a wound that time cannot fully heal.
It was a darkness so deep that, even generations later, its shadows still remain.
Millions of voices were silenced, yet their memory continues to speak through our responsibility to remember and through the quiet resolve that such hatred must never rise again.
The Stripes of Lost Freedom
Ecaterina Pandele
Grade 10
"O. Bancial" National College of Arts Iași
Iași, Romania
”The Stripes of Lost Freedom” reflects the memory of the Holocaust through symbolic contrasts between fragility and constraint. Barbed wire appears as a central element, wrapping around the body to suggest physical restriction and the loss of freedom. The stripes recall the anonymity of prison uniforms, while subtle geometric forms hint at the forced markings imposed on prisoners’ identities. Abstract shapes evoke invisible, suffocating dangers, creating a tense atmosphere around the figures. Together, these elements express vulnerability and the silent struggle for dignity and freedom.
An Immortal Continuum
Matrix Wright
Age 16
Gillespie High School
Gillespie, Illinois, USA
In this piece, I attempted to replicate the constant entrapment a Holocaust survivor might feel, I added a malnourished person huddled to the ground inside his or her own mind. The spirals replicate the endless parallels one might face coming out of the Holocaust along with constant, endless, reoccurring feelings; one’s victims wish they could escape but cannot. The bricks in the background depict the walls some people might build while being forced into constant survival mode. The wall also shows how difficult it may be to tear down and become "normal" again.
192 Stars: The Right to Learn
Manuel Ghizzoni
Age 17
IIS Bertrand Russell
Garbagnate Milanese, Italy
This artwork honors the Polish doctor Janusz Korczak, a beacon of pedagogical devotion who stood firm amidst the horrors of the Warsaw Ghetto. The doctor’s likeness is woven from the faces of the children of “Dom Sierot,” the orphanage he founded. Within its walls, he established a true “republic,” nurturing his pupils in the values of tolerance and citizenship. When the Ghetto was liquidated, though his renown offered him a path to safety, Korczak chose to remain by his children’s side until the very end. His legacy is profound: his writings inspired the rights of children and adolescents enshrined in the 1989 UN Convention. The stars that the fascist era intended as a badge of shame now illuminate the lives of thousands of students who, through that ultimate sacrifice, see the right to education recognized as an inalienable law.
Shadows of the Holocaust
Eugenia Bîlici
Age 14
Liceul Teoretic Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu
Bălți, Moldova
This work shows fear, pain, and sadness. It shows people trapped and tired, losing their freedom and identity. The barbed wire and dark space make the feeling of danger and oppression very strong.
It also shows a small sense of togetherness, because the people are close and support each other, even in suffering. The work wants to make the viewer feel the weight of history and remember the tragedy of the Holocaust.
What Remains
Mia Boghițoiu
Age 16
Colegiul Național ”Spiru Haret”
Tecuci, Galați, Romania
An open suitcase rests on the empty ground, its contents exposed to the air as if someone meant to return but never did. A pair of shoes lies nearby,previously worn by feet that once walked. The space feels suspended in time ,quiet, heavy with absence.
This painting speaks to the aftermath of the Holocaust, not through scenes of violence, but through what was left behind when lives were violently interrupted. The suitcase and shoes stand in for entire families, for communities erased, for journeys that ended without closure. The calmness of the setting contrasts painfully with the suffering it represents, reminding us that after the horror passed, the world remained to deal with the heavy consequences.
Where Flowers Grow
Andrea Guaita
Age 13
IES Francesc Ferrer I Guardia
València, Spain
This digital painting represents the life that awaited the victims of the Holocaust when they entered the camps. The lilies on the metal wires represent the hope they still held in those circumstances, even though everything suggested the opposite—that there was no hope—and how they continued to feel that hope until the end of their days.
I did not have a single source of inspiration; rather, I was inspired by what I believe they might have felt in moments like that.
Let's Remember the Places of Suffering in Romania and Poland
Daria Turcanu
Age 14
Scoala Gimnaziala Nr. 18
Timișoara, Romania
Deportation of the Roma Population to Transnistria
Daria Turcanu
Age 14
Scoala Gimnaziala Nr. 18
Timișoara, Romania
Screaming Roots
Avram Ștefan
Age 18
Colegiul Național "Titu Maiorescu"
Aiud, Romania
This pencil drawing is my visual meditation on the deliberate uprooting and systematic destruction of the Holocaust. At the center, a barren tree draws its lifeblood from a trunk marked by the deep scars of identity and suffering: the Star of David and the prisoner number 32256, both entwined in barbed wire.
The human figure emerging from the crest, eyes cast upward with a single tear, stands as the silent witness to both agony and resilience. In my work, the soldier’s violent strike does not merely fell a single tree; it strikes at an entire lineage, a whole community. By filling the vast horizon with countless stumps, I wanted to emphasize the industrial scale of the genocide, forcing the viewer to confront the profound void left behind. This piece is my tribute to memory and a stark warning about the fragility of life and history.
Bridge of Hope
Lika Rusiashvili
Age 14
LEPL Tbilisi N 108 Public School
Tbilisi, Georgia
This work reflects the main strength of humanity – unity and solidarity. The gap that has opened up between two rocks symbolizes the alienation, conflicts or obstacles that separate people from each other. However, instead of waiting for outside help or artificial construction, people themselves become the solution.
My Identity
Kinsei Morán Alcalá, Venus Alexandra Orozco Santander, Natali Alejandra Sánchez Domínguez
Age 14
Federalized General Secondary School No. 95 "Melchor Ocampo"
Nezahualcóyotl, Mexico
The artwork titled “My Identity” is a set of three masks inspired by Anne Frank’s book, reflecting emotions such as fear, hope, and sadness that she experienced during her confinement. Together with my colleagues Natali and Venus, we wanted to represent how a person can have many faces depending on their circumstances, but also how they never cease to be themselves at heart.
To make them, we used recycled paper, as it's important to care for the environment, and we decorated them with acrylic paints to give them more expression and color. This project helped me reflect on the importance of identity, freedom, and expressing feelings, as well as appreciate Anne Frank's story and what we can learn from it today.
Through Fire and Memory
Gruiță Karla
Age 18
Colegiul Național "Titu Maiorescu"
Aiud, Romania
At first glance, you are drawn to the flickering warmth of a candle, but as you step closer, you realize you are looking into a sanctuary of grief. I wanted to capture the idea that the memory of the Holocaust is not a cold, distant fact of history—it is a flame that continues to burn, both sacred and agonizing.
Deep within the light, the silhouettes of the lost remain trapped, their identities marked by the Star of David and strangled by the jagged edge of barbed wire. It is a haunting contrast between the fragility of a human life and the cold, sharp brutality of the world that tried to extinguish it. The bridge fading into the shadows is perhaps the most hollow part of the story; it represents that final, silent crossing—a path walked by millions toward a place of no return, leaving behind nothing but melting wax and the lingering scent of smoke.
In "Through Fire and Memory," I’ve tried to show that while the fires of history may have consumed their bodies, it is our duty to keep the flame of their presence alive. It is a tribute to a suffering that words cannot reach, and a quiet, defiant vow never to let the darkness of the past swallow their stories again.
Never Again
Barbare Ulumbelashvili
Age 15
Ekvtime Takaishvili Surami Public School N 2.
Surami, Georgia
Inspired by movie , "Schindler's List", this painting shows the deep sadness of the Holocaust through the eyes of a child. The little girl in her red coat, holding a teddy bear, represents millions of innocent children who lost everything. The bright color of her coat is a reminder of the human lives lost in a cold, gray world.
In the background, a long line of people walks toward a dark camp. The suitcase left in the snow and the Star of David on the ground are symbols of stolen homes and broken lives. The title "Never Again" is a promise from all of us: we must remember this history so that such a tragedy never happens to anyone ever again.
A Broken Childhood
Darjan Majevski
Age 17
Švenčionys District "Rytas" Gymnasium
Švenčionys, Lithuania
While drawing, I thought about childhood that war shattered far too early. This drawing symbolizes the lost sense of safety, fear, and the quiet pain experienced by children. Through it, I wanted to remind people that even in the darkest times there were those who had the courage to save others and preserve hope.
March 15, 1943 in Zhovkva: One Day in the Life of Zygmunt Leiner
Vitaliy Zakrynychny
Age 16
Zhovkva General Secondary Education Institution I-III degrees No. 2
Zhovkva, Lviv Region, Ukraine
The picture depicts a tragic scene on March 15, 1943 in Zhovkva. In the center are several men with their hands tied behind their backs, indicating their complete defenselessness. Their figures are bent and their heads lowered, which conveys fear and submission to their inevitable fate. To the right and left they are surrounded by armed German soldiers who control the situation. A truck with bars, designed to transport prisoners, can be seen in the background. A car stands nearby, emphasizing the organized nature of this forced action. Airplanes fly in the sky, reminiscent of wartime and the general atmosphere of danger. Details like barbed wire and the empty space around it create a sense of isolation and doom. This scene symbolizes the sending of people to the Janów camp, which was part of the tragic events of the Holocaust. The drawing deeply conveys the pain, fear, and drama of one day in the life of Zygmunt Leiner.
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