Anton Gerashchenko, advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, tweeted “Ukraine today is the center of attention, center of resistance, freedom, true art. @banksy confirmed that he created seven murals in different parts of Ukraine, including Borodianka, Irpin, and Kyiv. It means a great deal to us. We are so grateful, Sir!”

In Horenka, on the ground floor of a devastated apartment block hit by Russian bombs in March, one mural shows a man lounging in a clawfoot tub, scrubbing his back with a brush. “For me, it means washing off all the dirt. The dirt of the Russian Federation,” local resident Tetiana Reznychenko told Reuters. “And this drawing makes me feel as if I have cleansed myself of the dirt that descended on us.”

Reznychenko told reporters that she served Banksy’s team a mug of instant coffee in her apartment when she saw them outside in the cold. Her damaged building currently has no electricity, heat, or running water, but she’s using a wood stove to get by for now. “Winter has begun, and we don’t know what will happen next,” she told Reuters. “Firemen brought us non-drinking water… but it will freeze unless we move it inside.”

Another mural in Borodyanka depicts a man resembling Russian president Vladimir Putin being thrown to the ground during a judo match with a young boy. Putin held an honorary black belt in judo until it was revoked earlier this year by World Taekwondo. The fourth mural shows children playing on a seesaw made from part of a tank. The fifth mural depicts a young gymnast holding a streamer aloft, and the sixth is a woman in a gas mask bearing a fire extinguisher. They all share a common theme of resilience in the face of horror and destruction.

Located about 35 miles northwest of Kyiv, Borodyanka was besieged by Russian forces early in the invasion and suffered extensive aerial bombardment, with many buildings reduced to rubble. Most of its 13,000 residents fled prior to its Russian occupation in late February. When the town came back into Ukrainian control in April, returning residents found that even those structures that had escaped bombs and shelling had been ransacked and burglarized.

Ukrainians like Alina Mazur, a 31-year-old from Kyiv, have traveled to the Borodyanka area to see the murals in person. “This is such a historic moment for our country, that people like Banksy and other famous figures are coming here and showing the world what Russia has done to us,” she told Smithsonian Magazine.

The post Banksy’s Presence in Ukraine Confirmed by a Series of New Murals first appeared on Dornob.

“This is how this little collaboration came about, exactly at the time when I just started a new fiery paper artwork — the Phoenix,” the UK-based artist said in an Instagram post alongside Rohulskyi’s video. “It seems symbolic because Bogdan’s life in Ukraine has been burned to ashes, but from the ashes a new chapter of his life is rising and beginning to take flight here in the UK.”

However, Brodskaya admits that the poignant comparison only came to her after the fact. “In truth, there was no mental concept or idea that inspired me to create this artwork in the first place.”

“If I really have to attach any words to this artwork,” she continues, “I would say that this portrait is about coming into your personal power and burning down…old patterns and beliefs in order to give rise to your Higher Self — the part of you that is pure light.”

“Yet every time you take courage to follow your heart and your true self, the fire of the Phoenix gets stronger… until it is no longer possible to suppress it,” Brodskaya adds. “…Phoenix comes out in its full glory to purify and burn down everything that no longer serves the real you.”

The details on the face and bird are exquisite, with intricate tiny folds, cuts, and curls. Bright yellows, oranges, and reds explode across the black background of the three-dimensional art. The entire portrait is composed of only paper and glue. And as an extra delight, Brodskaya included a hidden message written in pen on a few of the feathers: “Watch me rise like a Phoenix, from the ashes, to become a heroine, of my own legend.”

Brodskaya got her start as an artist in 2006 when she got her first job as a graphic designer and illustrator. However, she soon gave up digital design to embrace her passion for hands-on art in the form of paper quilling.

“Paper always held a special fascination for me,” she says on her website. “I’ve tried many different methods and techniques of working with it, until I found the way that has turned out to be ‘the one’ for me: now I draw with paper instead of on it.”

Brodskaya’s unique and dramatic style has quickly made a name for her among art-enthusiasts and celebrities. Among her 200 projects and commissions over the past several years, she has made paper paintings for Oprah Winfrey, Nieman Marcus, Paramount Pictures, Hermés, the Country Music Association, Starbucks, and Target, to name a few. She has also authored a book entitled Painting with Paper: Paper on the Edge that sheds light on her creative process. The artist posts all her latest pieces on her Instagram and Facebook accounts.

The post Yulia Brodskaya’s Phoenix Portrait Mirrors the Life of Her Ukrainian Collaborator first appeared on Dornob.

At the center of the collection is an incredible 6.5-foot-tall handwoven tapestry called “Zemlia,” which is made of wool. The tapestry evokes the black earth of Ukraine and the potential for life contained within it. Long woven strands stretch out from the base almost like umbilical cords, symbolically connecting Ukrainians now located in far-flung locations to their homeland. No matter where in the world they might be, nothing can sever this bond. The technique used to create the tapestry is an ancient Ukrainian craft called “lizhnykarstvo,” once passed down from mother to daughter in the Carpathian Mountains and now close to extinction.

Just as striking and primeval are the animal-shaped benches Yakusha calls “Volyky” and the stools she calls “Duzhyi.” The black and white benches take their name from the Ukrainian word for freedom, and are hand-sculpted and kneaded using a sustainable material called “ztista” that Yakusha developed herself. The designer’s physical participation in the creation of these pieces can literally be seen in the form of her own fingerprints pressed into the surface of each one. The technique is derived from a traditional wall finish in old Ukrainian homes.

“Duzhyi” means “sturdy” in Ukrainian, and the name is fitting for the very solid-feeling sculpted forms of the stools. While the benches bear a more obvious resemblance to sheep, the stools are animalistic yet abstracted. Yakusha doesn’t necessarily start with sketches when sculpting — she likes to allow the forms to come to her unbidden, springing forth from her imagination as she works.

Yakusha established FAINA in response to the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine, which took place over five days in 2014. Through her creations, the designer aims to give a new voice to millennia-old traditions and crafts that are in danger of disappearing. Yakusha hopes her deeply meaningful designs will inspire other artists and contribute to a global perception of Ukraine not just as its own country with a distinct character and heritage from its neighboring invader, but as a living, evolving culture with much to contribute to society at large.

“A tragedy like September 11th is happening every week in Ukraine,” Yakusha tells Design Miami. “Russians destroy physically, destroy culturally, try to appropriate history, and suppress identity. The whole creative industry is having a particularly hard time with this because our strength is our sensitivity, and right now this sensibility is overwhelming… But we, Ukrainians, have huge power inside, and all our creativity will result in a beautiful outpouring for a brighter future for sure. To resist, we must be fearless in how we act, speak, and create. Fear leads to darkness.”

The post Stepping on Ukrainian Soil: Furniture Collection Honors Traditions in Danger of Extinction first appeared on Dornob.

Norman Foster of architecture firm Foster + Partners met with Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov in April to offer his support and discuss a vision for a masterplanned reconstruction of the country’s second largest city. During that meeting, he submitted his “Kharkiv Manifesto,” promising to put his best efforts into making the city state-of-the-art in both infrastructure and layout.

“I undertake to assemble the best minds with the best planning, architectural, design, and engineering skills in the world to bear on the rebirth of the city of Kharkiv,” Foster wrote. “In the spirit of combining a planetary awareness with local action, I would seek to bring together the top Ukrainian talents with worldwide expertise and advice.”

Mayor Terekhov has also laid out his vision for the city, in which at least a quarter of the housing, hospitals, schools, and cultural centers have been destroyed. He hopes to see their investments in technology and healthcare restored, as well as the repair and preservation of historic buildings, many of which were styled in traditional Art Nouveau style.

Due to the centuries-long conflict with Russia over the Ukrainian border, the mayor also wants to see the city prepared for future attacks. Specifying that their urgent needs were for hospitals, schools, kindergartens, and offices for their robust IT businesses, Terekhov wants each of those places to have built-in bomb shelters. He also suggested that residential buildings should have underground parking lots that could be converted into emergency shelters.

The next step from Foster’s perspective (once the city is safe from more Russian attacks — Russian forces are still close enough to shell Kharkiv regularly from their current position) is to create a city masterplan that would include combining “the most loved and revered heritage from the past with the most desirable and greenest elements of infrastructure and buildings.” Foster hopes to “deliver the city of the future now” as well as to “plan for its life decades ahead.”

The 86-year-old Foster has had plenty of experience building the future. His is well known as one of the principal figures in British modernist architecture, having designed the Gherkin and Millennium Bridge in London, the Reichstag in Berlin, and the Apple Park campus in Silicon Valley. His firm was among many that protested the Russian aggression with not only words but actions. On his Instagram account in March, Foster posted, “We deplore the Russian invasion of Ukraine and as a result, we have stopped work on all our projects in Russia.”

Terekhov seemed pleased with the direction Foster wants to take. In Facebook footage from their video meeting, the mayor said, “I’ve seen your work and I would really like to see this new, progressive style in our city. I would like us to get a city center that would become one of the highlights of Europe.”

The post Norman Foster Partners with Mayor of Destroyed Kharkiv to Rebuild the “City of the Future” first appeared on Dornob.

Oprisco’s career began when he got a job at a photo lab at age 16, where he mastered the stages of printing both film and digital photography. As a lab operator, he got to fine-tune his ability to adjust the colors in thousands of images a day, taking a particular interest in identifying the types of images and poses his customers loved most. This inspired him to pick up a medium format camera called the Kiev 6C in 2009. Medium format photography is captured on wide, square-shaped film with four times the resolution of 35mm images and naturally occurring out-of-focus areas called bokeh. That’s what helps produce the dreamy effect.

Oprisco doesn’t plan his photo series too far ahead, preferring to do whatever inspires him most in the moment. A prevailing theme in his portfolio is simply seeking out beauty in everyday places. Preferring to keep post-production to a minimum, the photographer makes his own real props and uses Photoshop only for minor things like dust, scratches, and color-correction. Every picture is a unique story told through perspective, angles, props, the color palette, and the models’ poses. To get everything just right, he uses notes, sketches, and a whole lot of preparation. It’s worthwhile to wait for everything to align — even the weather — to get the best possible images.

“There is inspiration all around us,” Oprisco told 500px. “Everything that happens in our lives is a unique source of inspiration. There’s no sense in stealing someone else’s. Only the original is a unique creation. Be sure any artist of the 18th century, the 19th century is very jealous of us. We can live anywhere and create anything and show it around the world. Everything is in our hands.”

Many of Oprisco’s photographs are uniquely compelling, but they’ve all gained a little bit of extra fascination this year. The viewer can’t help but wonder whether the scenes and buildings depicted still exist as they look in these otherworldly images. Like all photographs, Oprisco’s work freezes tiny moments in time, infused with a broader sense of the contemporary cultural and social context, even if the photos seem to exist outside of time and place. The Ukrainian national identity is present in the models, the clothing, the settings, and even modern updates on the traditional flower crown known as the vinok.

“Like every Ukrainian, I love freedom,” says Oprisco. “I like the ability to stop time and create my version of reality.”

If you love Oprisco’s work, be sure to keep up with it on Instagram @olegoprisko.

The post Oleg Oprisco’s Dreamy Photography Captures the Wistful Beauty of Ukraine first appeared on Dornob.

Here are a few creative ways to your support for the struggling nation inside your own home:

Furniture from Emko

Lithuanian-based furniture and décor company Emko is donating three percent of every purchase to the Blue/Yellow support organization that supplies aid packets to schools, families, and the elderly in Ukrainian war zones. Buying their stackable Citizen Dining Chair could be a good way to show love to Ukraine and the world around it. Its sturdy oak frame is crafted from natural, sustainable materials.

A Mug from Ceramic Tableware

Ukrainian craftsman David, who lives in a rural area near Kyiv, learned the art of pottery making from his grandfather. His handmade mugs, bowls, and containers are made with traditional Ukrainian ceramic techniques, including the use of milk to fill in holes during the glazing process. Each piece takes the artist roughly a day to complete. His rustic mug would be a beautiful addition to your morning routine while simultaneously keeping food on the table of a Ukrainian artisan.

“Choose Love” Prints and Rugs from The Beaux Shop

This London-based antiques and rug dealer collaborated with blogger Lucy Williams to offer a curated collection of fine art works and special rugs to benefit the Ukrainian Red Cross. 20 percent of the profits from sales within the “Choose Love” set will go to providing safe shelter and food to Ukrainian refugees.

Ukraine Candle from the Door County Candle Company

Christiana (Gorchynsky) Trapani is a native born Ukrainian and owner of the successful Door County Candle Company. Although raised in the United States, Trapani has strong ties to friends and family still living in the besieged country. She has created a blue and yellow vanilla candle for purchase, with 100 percentof the profits being donated to Razom for Ukraine, a nonprofit providing food and medical supplies to the war-ravaged residents. Says Trapani, “This special Ukraine candle is a way I feel we can make a difference and help those in need.”

Floral Stitchwork from EmbroideryArtbyNat

Created by Esty seller Natalia from Lviv, Ukraine, these beautifully bold floral artworks are masterfully hand-stitched. She also offers embroidery patterns and tutorials on her Etsy shop. Etsy is a great place to support the local Ukrainian economy right now, as the online marketplace company has dropped its fees for all Ukrainian sellers, studios, and artists.

Lavender Fabric Eggs from 510 Laundry

Handmade fabric Easter eggs have been hand-painted in the colors of Ukraine this year by vintage textile brand 510 Laundry. Purchasing a dozen of these will add a striking statement to your spring décor, while all proceeds will go to the Ukrainian Red Cross Society and the International Committee of the Red Cross to support emergency aid.

The post Show Support for Ukraine with These 6 Home Decor Pieces first appeared on Dornob.

A week after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th, attacking multiple cities across the country and killing hundreds of civilians, businesses around the world quickly began cutting ties with Russia. Among the first of the luxury retailers to suspend operations in the world’s largest country were Hermès and Richemont, the owner of the Swiss Cartier. The latter, which has about a dozen directly operated shops in Russia, posted that it was suspending all its commercial activities in the country as of March 3rd.

In a statement on March 4th, Hermès, known for their costly Birkin handbags, said, “Deeply concerned by the situation in Europe at this time, it’s with regret that we have taken the decision to temporarily close our store in Russia and pause all our commercial activities…We will continue to stand by our local teams.” The high-end retailer operates three stores within the country.

Later the same day, LVMH, the parent company of fashion firms Christian Dior, Givenchy, and Bulgari, announced it would close its 124 Russian boutiques “given the current circumstances in the region,” according to a spokesperson. That evening, French firm Kering, owner of Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, and Saint Laurent, decided to close its two stores that employ a total of 180 Russian residents, citing “growing concerns regarding the current situation in Europe.”

A statement from Chanel in a LinkedIn post soon followed. “Given our increasing concerns about the current situation, the growing uncertainty, and the complexity to operate, Chanel decided to temporarily pause its business in Russia. We will no longer deliver into Russia, we will close our boutiques, and we already suspended our e-commerce.”

While it would be nice to believe all these companies have shuttered their Russian shops out of anti-war solidarity, the fact that economic sanctions against the country have already disrupted the supply chains to get luxury goods in was certainly a factor. And with Visa and Mastercard both blocking transactions from multiple Russian financial institutions, doing business in Russia was already becoming difficult for the high-end stores, making it a much easier choice to temporarily close their doors.

Perhaps that’s why so many of the fashion houses expressed “concern” in their carefully worded statements without condemning the actions of Vladimir Putin and his forces – in an effort to not burn any bridges for future dealings. Besides, according to Bernstein Research, luxury fashion in Russian only makes up 2 percent of global revenues for most of the industry.

While several other luxury brands, including Louis Vuitton and Valentino, made large donations to humanitarian and refugee organizations in support of the Ukrainian people under attack, one designer who has spoken out is Italian legend Giorgio Armani. During his February 27th Milan Fashion Week show, the 87-year old had his models strut in silence to make a statement.

“My decision not to use any music was taken as a sign of respect towards the people involved in the unfolding tragedy in Ukraine,” he posted on his Twitter account. On the sidelines of the show he added, “The best thing to do is send a message that we don’t want to celebrate because something very disturbing is happening around us.”

The post Luxury Brands Halt Business in Russia as Ukraine Conflict Rages first appeared on Dornob.

Photo: Daniella Herodesova

Colorful, impactful, and bold, the following pieces act as portals that connect and empower the viewer — a small step toward dispelling the sense of hopelessness and outrage that people feel when confronted with atrocities that are far away and ultimately out of our control.

Photo: Kasia Rubin

Kasia Rubin, a Polish artist living in France, expressed her feelings through an expressive watercolor of a woman holding a Ukrainian flag a, with the blurred outlines of other flags clumped together on the ground facing a blazing sunrise. Rubin recently explained her pieces to My Modern Met, stating “this art was my reaction to the military attack…fast and furious art…from the bottom of my heart with hope that other countries will react.” Ultimately, she hopes to share her own message of “peace and love for Ukraine”: a feeling shared by many across the world.

Photo: Shamsia Hassani

Graffiti/street artist Shamsia Hassani showed her support with a powerful piece depicting a woman rising out of the rubble. As pieces of the building below her fall away, the buildings themselves, branded with signs of peace and love, fall into dust, and the faceless woman weeps. Hassani also shared a message with her art, expressing her empathy, feelings of loss, and connection with the plight of Ukrainian people: “Ukraine, I feel your pain, I am also hit hard by the war…I feel the pain of your children. I am sorry for what your people have lost and are about to lose.”

Photo: Oliver Jeffers

Oliver Jeffers showed his support for the Ukraine through his impactful piece depicting a series of bombs emblazoned with the question: “Why are we back here?” The colors are gray and dismal except for the brilliant red of the warheads, catching the eye and forcing the viewer to contemplate the same senseless question of war that inevitably arises with such conflicts: why?

Photo: Dinara Mirtalipova

Photo: Lucy Claire

The above are just a few examples of recent works that are emerging as a response to the invasion. Undoubtedly, artists will continue their outpourings of support, dissent, and outrage in the coming days. Whether it’s a call to action or a reaction to events half a world away, these works offer a way for people everywhere to connect to something larger than themselves, and a powerful reminder of art’s ability to create shared emotional experiences and shine a light on even the darkest days.

The post Artists Everywhere are Showing Their Support for Ukraine first appeared on Dornob.

Direct Action:

Attend or organize protests in your city. A website called Stop Putin has a list of protests planned around the world, and you can add your own local events. Check your local news and Facebook events for additional protests that might pop up in your area.

Welcome refugees. An estimated 4 million Ukrainians will be fleeing their country in the weeks to come. Call or write your government representatives and insist that they grant Ukrainians immediate entry and humanitarian parole, which, in the United States, allows them to remain without a visa. Parole can be granted in as little as three days.

Counter disinformation. Be skeptical about the information you see online, which might be propaganda or misinformation. Question where the information came from and whether the source is reliable, especially before sharing on social media. Check out Stanford’s guide to spotting misleading news and information for more tips.

Donations:

Support Ukrainian journalism. A GoFundMe page organized by a senior executive from the Kyiv Independent is currently raising funds to support national and regional news sources fighting to relocate from Kyiv and other cities in peril.

Médicins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders is a well-respected, Nobel Prize-winning organization that currently has teams in Ukraine and surrounding countries providing medical aid and supplies.

The Hungarian Helsinki Committee is currently helping people fleeing from Ukraine, offering free professional and legal assistance with everything from counseling to representation.

Fundacja Ocalenie has stepped in to provide support after reports that African and Indian students have faced discrimination and racism at the border of Poland and Belarus. Funds will allow them to pay for food, translation services, legal aid, fuel for humanitarian aid groups, and more.

Polish Migration Forum is offering a free crisis hotline to help those affected by the crisis in Ukraine, including people who have fled the country and concerned people who have relatives in Ukraine. They are also seeking volunteers within Poland.

Razom for Ukraine is providing medical supplies and working to “amplify the voices of Ukrainians” during the crisis. Its aim is to help Ukraine pursue a democratic society with civil rights for all.

Sunflowers of Peace is an organization founded by a Ukrainian-American woman based in Massachusetts, raising direct relief funds for Ukrainians who are stuck inside the country. The group has raised half a million dollars in the last week alone, and is also collecting medical supplies that will be included in emergency response backpacks distributed within Ukraine and to refugees.

Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights is helping to support women, transgender, and nonbinary activists on the ground within and around Ukraine, including emergency evacuations and relocations, legal, financial, and medical support, security and disaster survival training, shelter, and access to alternative communication channels like mobile internet and VPNs.

The post Help the People of Ukraine Right Now with These 4 Actions first appeared on Dornob.

Architecture firm Archimatika threw convention out the window with Comfort Town Housing, a low-budget residential development in Kyiv, Ukraine. The project’s vivid rainbow of shades dominated by punchy yellows and oranges enlivens an area of town encompassing several city blocks, almost creating a city-within-a-city with its own unique look and feel. It’s divided into two zones: one with streets that allow for motor vehicle traffic, and one with pedestrian-only courtyards, which feature playgrounds, benches, and walkways.

In some areas, the rooflines of the buildings connect in zig-zagging patterns, while other buildings take on elongated gabled shapes with flat facades. Between the colors and the shapes, the development almost looks like a LEGO city from above, adding to the fun (or the weirdness, depending on your perspective). The architects wanted to create three distinct silhouettes with different turns and heights of dual-pitch roofs for an overall effect that’s varied and interesting.

On some facades, they’ve used French balconies to add decorative flair and function. These are the railings attached to the facade that enable double doors to be opened inside rather than spaces you step out onto. Shifting the patterns of the windows also keeps the buildings from looking monotonous.

“The Comfort Town residential complex includes the Academy of Modern Education with a 160-seat kindergarten, a 140-seat elementary school, and a 600-seat high school,” says Archimatika. “The residential complex also includes a 4500-square-meter retail complex with a supermarket, a 4600-square-meter fitness complex with three swimming pools and gyms, a 1.5-hectare complex of outdoor sports grounds, cafés, stores, and offices on the lower floors of the apartment buildings, 22 children playgrounds, and its own maintenance service.”

The firm adds that “a different number of stories of adjacent buildings (ranging from two to 16 floors) forms a picturesque image of every street. There is also a restored park with perennial trees, sculptures, and a fountain. Thus, the former industrial territory has turned into a good living environment and the status of the district as a whole has increased.”

Though unusual for Kyiv, the development isn’t too out of place, and it feels like a vibrant and comfortable place to live, hence the name. All the pains the architects took to give Comfort Town its cheerful, fun, and artsy atmosphere certainly pay off, especially when you compare it to the depressing uniformity of similarly-sized housing projects in Eastern Europe and other parts of the world.

The post Comfort Town: Colorful Ukraine Housing Development Looks Like a LEGO Village first appeared on Dornob.