Art for Victory: Two Colors of a Nation

In an endeavour to draw attention to and show support for Ukraine during the war, the director of ahead Foundation, Tatiana Chesakova, found a way to help children gain new experiences and re-adjust to a peaceful life. The “Art for Victory” is a ticketed charity auction that will be hosted on July 15th, at the Paris Marriott Opera Ambassador Hotel, by the ahead Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.

Words by Guido Avelino

Besides preserving and supporting Ukrainian cultural heritage and contemporary art, the project aims to draw attention to the issues children who have been the most affected by the war are facing.

“Flowers on fire”

Through total darkness – to the light.

This project is about the greatest pain that has befallen our country. About pain that is hard to believe. Children suffer and die in war. But even through the prism of death, pain and despair, their existence brings hope for peace.

All works are the documentation of photographs of the war. These are real stories of dead children, crippled children, children born in a bomb shelter.

These are children hiding from war. Children of all ages. Eighteen year old children sent to fight in the war. Even adults, who have simply remained children.

After all, everyone, in fact, remains a child in their soul. Contemplating the pain of those who are defenseless, we have a chance to become more humane, kinder, and wiser. Learn to help and receive help. Learn to be human.

Now, many of my artist friends are in bomb shelters, often all they have as consolation during the bombing is a piece of pencil, a stop or paint, a piece of paper. And they paint, in the most difficult moments, they paint with the hope of life.

Empathizing with them, I drew this project with one pencil, the tablet was a cardboard that I put under the wall sitting on a mat. Every text message from Kyiv is about each incoming bombing made my pencil draw faster.

I was caught in a bombing only (!) twice on the road. And that was enough to understand all the horrors of war. And I saw children and mothers weeping at the sound of explosions and the rapid roar of a train carrying them nowhere.
They are confused and very scared. Please help them as much as you can. Especially morally, especially with love, because the main food for people is emotion, it’s love. It is a hug and a kind word. Don’t be afraid to show them love, even if they are strange and speak a different language. Learn to love, because it is the most important skill in life.

― Khrystyna Zakharuchuk

The auction will bring together the works of famous Ukrainian artists, sculptors, photographers and designers. Visitors will also be able to view an exhibition of works produced by the students of the Aza Nizi Maza art studio in Kharkiv, who persisted in creating art despite the city’s frequent bombardment.

The funds raised at the auction will go towards children who lost their parents during the war and were taken from the war-affected regions of Ukraine, as well as used to fund summer rehabilitation camps for orphans and children who remained in Ukraine.

In addition to the artwork created by the young, works will be displayed from many Ukrainian artists working in different mediums, including: Oleg Tistol, Yana Bystrova, Alla Preobrazhenska-Ronikier, Anna Voda, Inga Zhytnia, Katterna Zhovta, Tetiana An, Evelina Tryntsolyn, Oksana Odainyk, Natalia Zastavna, Marharyta Zhurunova, Volodymyr Tryntsolyn, Sasha Zaitseva, Khrystyna Zakharchuk, Mykyta Kravtsov, Oleksandr Korovaj, Hanna Varshavska, Mariana Tomyn, Liudmula Bezuhla, Elina Bilous, Anfisa Cass, sculptor Olena Levder, designer Nadia Dzyak and photo artist Vitaliy Vorobyov.

On a previous interview with Anna Voda, one of the artists displaying at the auction, ZOOT asked her how her creative process was affected after the war, to which she responded:

“I can’t draw violent pictures […] the war first dehydrates—paralyzes—the artist, then it exposes all the nerves. You see the beauty in any manifestation of life, then everything changes its meaning. You see signs and subtexts everywhere but nothing  means  the same as  before”.

Born in Kharkov, Anna also told us about her backstory: “I was born in a family of artists. I draw almost from the cradle. Mom is an artist, a teacher, she is teaching animation to children at an art school. Dad is an artist too”. After graduating high school she engaged in creating images for filming and got two degrees, one in economics, the second in art and a magister degree in easel graphics.

Now, we get to see her piece “Liberté”, as well as other works from her collection, displayed at “Art for Victory”.

As a special feature, Ukrainian designer Nadya Dzyak has donated for auction her Fall 2018 creation, the Poetry Dress. The ethereal effect achieved with pleating takes more than 25 hours of craftsmanship to get done. A special creasing technique is featured in its making, bringing to life a modern take on romanticism.

Nadya’s brand has been collaborating with production partners in Kharkiv long before the start of the war. Her reliable brand partners kept on working, despite being under fire, and were ultimately able to produce this dress.
Instantly becoming a show-stopper, the dress was featured in more than 50 photo shoots across the globe and worn for multiple magazine covers over the years. Now it comes to the “Art for Victory” auction as a piece not only to be appreciated but also to support its place of origin.

Entry to the auction is available with a ticket or an individual invitation. You can purchase a ticket by following this link: https://ahead.com.ua/registration/ or connect to ahead Foundation through instagram.