Month: April 2023
The founder of the art project ArtArmor, Oleksandr Kovalchuk, and the Chairman of the Board of the Lviv Defense Cluster (LDC), Maksym Plekhov, on the air “Suspilne. News” talked about the launch of the program to exchange armored plates that saved lives for new armored vests.
According to Maksym Plekhov, the essence of the idea is that the defenders of Ukraine, who have damaged armor plates and the history of how it saved their lives, hand over their “used” protective equipment to the. Lviv Defense Cluster.
In return, the defense company will send them new armor plates and plate carriers, and the damaged armor will be given to the ArtArmor team to be turned into art objects.
At the same time, the founder of ArtArmor Oleksandr Kovalchuk emphasized that not only the armor plate that saved a person’s life, but also the story of the rescue is important to us. This story will be used by artists in the future when creating an art object.
Nova Poshta, a well-known Ukrainian company and one of ArtArmor’s key partners, also participates in the armor plate exchange program. Thanks to its support, the defenders of Ukraine can send their armor plates to the Lviv Defense Cluster free of charge, and new means of protection will also be delivered to them free of charge. We are very grateful to Nova Poshta for its support!
Stories of saving human lives are extremely important for ArtArmor because protecting the sons and daughters of Ukraine is our main goal. Next, we will show you the story of a fighter with the call sign FOX, who was saved by a bulletproof vest from the debris of a 120 mm mine.
Art that saves lives. Surprisingly, this wording is literal, not metaphorical, when it comes to ArtArmor project.
ArtArmor is a truly unique project: it combines seemingly incompatible, sometimes even antagonistic phenomena: art and militarism. Or, more precisely, armor plates, protective equipment of the Ukrainian military, which, due to being hit by enemy bullets or fragments, is no longer suitable for use in combat conditions.
But even these broken and mutilated plates continue to defend life – already within the the ArtArmor project, which gives a second chance to fulfill the protective mission. They become the basis for art objects created by artists well-known in Ukraine and abroad. Now the former armor plates have a new rescue mission – thanks to the funds from the sale of these unsurpassed art objects by the best artists of Ukraine. Every Euro from the sale of works will go towards the purchase of the most necessary things for our soldiers at the front.
The countdown to the ninth month of Ukraine desperately fighting for its right to a free and peaceful life has begun. This test united not only Ukrainians, but also people from all over the world, for whom free will, the right to self-determination, and the right to freedom of speech, religion, and life are the most important values. Schoolchildren and IT workers, businessmen and housewives, pensioners and cooks, priests and dancers – everyone contributes to our victory over a vile and treacherous enemy. And artists do not remain aloof from this great humanitarian cause.
Since ancient times, art has had its own, unique way to hearts and minds. Using the means of artistic expression, addressing the existential questions, it serves as s a guide to ideas, to important human values, the most essential – which is life. Freedom, security, and independence are integral attributes of a dignified existence, which every conscious person in the world aspires to. History has taught us that they are priceless and that they are inviolable rights of any person, nation, and country. Unfortunately, Ukraine currently has to defend these rights in a fierce struggle with the aggressor.
The ArtArmor project is called to join this struggle, to take a personal part in achieving true independence for our country. Art is a universal visual language, saturated with meanings and allusions, it has a distinct aesthetic and carries a powerful emotional charge. That is why the language of art knows no borders – it is understandable to every person in any corner of the world. In the ArtArmor project, we use the language of art to highlight one simple truth against the background of today’s tragic events: the most important thing in this world is the value of human life. That is why we chose an extremely metaphorical medium to convey this idea – protective armor plates that were damaged while fulfilling their direct mission – to save the lives of soldiers.
Using these armor plates to create their artworks, artists breathe new meaning into the spent, burnt metal, and imbue a dead thing with a life-giving idea.
Many Ukrainian artists have joined and continue to join the ArtArmor project – recognized, talented ones whose works resonate with the hearts of many art lovers all over the world. They gladly responded to the offer to convey the idea of the priceless of life to the whole world through art.
Working on the project was difficult and… easy at the same time. It was easy because ArtArmor is meant to help and protect, and it adds strength even when it seems you lack it.
The difficult part was related to the heart full of pain when the used plates “told” the stories of the fighters they protected. Damages on metal surfaces seem to still carry the destructive energy of a shot, aggression, and violence. These armor plates are like guardian angels who accepted a blow to save human life. So that ordinary people, who were forced to leave their peaceful, calm lives and stand up for the defense of their native country, could once again dream, breathe, love, worry about loved ones, hope for the best, plan a happy future in a peaceful world…
The courage and dedication of our fighters, who are currently tirelessly protecting the peace, without exaggeration, of the whole world, inspire all the team members as well as the central idea fulfills artists with energy and creative drive.
Created by a different artist, each artwork is unique and tells its own story. But there is something common for all of them – the undeniable talent of their creators and the extremely powerful energy charge of these works. Each artist used his own metaphor, but it invariably leads us to an axiomatic conclusion: there is nothing more valuable in the world than human life.
This awareness will give the present civilization a future. A future without military conflicts, senseless deaths, and tragic consequences. A future in which conflicts will be resolved purely in the cultural field and by cultural means. May art be the only weapon of mankind in this future. A weapon of freedom, independence of the manifestation of human genius, and self-expression. May our world become a territory where there is a place for everyone despite of their race and nationality, religion, and views. Where each person is valued for his/hers uniqueness, and human life is a priceless and inviolable right of everyone. Actually, the ArtArmor project is about this.
Basically, the ArtArmor project is all about this.
Iryna Yuferova,
curator of the ArtArmor project
Ukrainian artists and philanthropists invite children of the Rivne region aged 12-17 to take part in the Colors of Victory art competition, which is held as part of the charity art project ArtArmor.
The following information is published on the ArtArmor Facebook page.
According to the terms of the competition, the work must be done in A3 format (30×40 cm), and applications for participation are accepted until April 30, 2023 – for this, you need to fill out the appropriate form.
“The winner of the competition will recreate the plot of his work on the armor plate that saved the life of a soldier who defends Ukraine,” the organizers note.
For reference: ArtArmor is an international art project that was founded in the Rivne region. Within the framework of this project, Ukrainian and foreign artists create art objects from armored plates that saved human lives by stopping bullets, debris, etc. In this way, ArtArmor draws the attention of the whole world to Russia’s war against Ukraine and collects money for the purchase of new armor plates and other means of protection, for humanitarian demining of the territory of Ukraine, as well as for the treatment and rehabilitation of wounded defenders of Ukraine.
It is reported that the children who will take the first, second, and third places will have the opportunity to take part in the grand opening of the exhibition and present the works of all the participants of the “Colors of Victory” competition. The exhibition will be held in Kyiv – at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War.
“At this event, young creators will have the opportunity to meet and talk with the artists of the ArtArmor project, whose art objects will be traveling around the capitals of Europe from January 2023,” the organizers write.
On the same day when applications for participation in the “Colors of Victory” contest were opened, the founder of the ArtArmor art project and co-founder of the charity fund Ukraine For Heroes Oleksandr Kovalchuk, and the teacher of the art studio at the art gallery “EuroArt” Oleksandra Overchuk gave an interview to Ukrainian Radio Rivne, in which they spoke in detail about the competition.
Oleksandr Kovalchuk said that the “Colors of Victory” competition is held among children from Rivne and Rivne Region, as the ArtArmor project was founded in Rivne. At the same time, he emphasized that an all-Ukrainian competition may be held in the future, but before that, it must be successfully implemented on the scale of the Rivne region.
“Given that our entire Art-Armor project and the charity fund “Ukraine for Heroes” were founded in the Rivne region, in the city of Rivne – we are conducting such a “test” contest precisely on the territory of the Rivne region. And if it is successfully held, as we see – with good and good results – we plan o continue the work of this competition already throughout Ukraine,” said Oleksandr Kovalchuk.
Oleksandra Overchuk, the teacher of the art studio at the art gallery “EuroArt”, spoke in detail about whether there are any requirements for the participants of “Colors of Victory” and what exactly is expected of them.
“Every child is talented, so art education is not the main criterion of our competition. It is not necessary to have any specific abilities that were developed based on some studio or school. A child should simply have his vision of our victory, the colors of victory. A child should create their image that has not been shown anywhere before, neither virtually nor at exhibitions,” said Oleksandra Overchuk.
The winners of the competition will be determined by the jury – the organizers have already published detailed information about its composition.
Yes, participants’ works will be evaluated:
- Anton Logov is a well-known Ukrainian artist who works in the fields of painting, graphics, sculpture, video art, and installation. Member of the art project ArtArmor.
- Max Kidruk is a famous Ukrainian writer from the Rivne region, the author of several travelogues and many novels, including “Until the light goes out forever”, “Where there is no God”, “Look into my dreams” and others.
- Kostyantyn Kachanovskyi is a well-known muralist from Rivne, who after February 24 created many patriotic and morale-boosting murals throughout Ukraine.
- Oleksandr Kovalchuk – founder of the ArtArmor art project and the charity fund Ukraine For Heroes, People’s Deputy of Ukraine.
- Anna Vitruk – director of the modern art studio “Euro-Art”, co-organizer of the “Colors of Victory” contest.
- Iryna Pervushevska is the director of the Rivne City Palace of Children and Youth, under whose leadership the institution raised and continues to raise creative personalities.
The organizers of the competition expect that many children will take part in it because it is a good opportunity for young talented artists to show their creativity throughout the country.