UKRAINE. CULTURE OF CARE
This illustration was created for a unique fundraising project in November 2022 with the goal of collecting funds for demining Ukrainian territories. A three-day event featuring a market with contemporary Ukrainian art and craft products, design workshops, screenings, and panel discussions was planned to take place at Kulturhaus Helferei in Zurich, Switzerland. Stefania Women's Club Zurich and Design for Ukraine, along with several local organizations, united in the effort to draw attention to the problem of outrageous mine pollution in Ukraine and focus on ways to expedite the demining process in de-occupied territories.
Drawing inspiration from traditional Ukrainian motifs, I wanted to create a contemporary symbol, a special emblem for this project. As the entire team loved the design, we decided not only use it for the posters and social media promotion but also to produce a Limited Edition Silkscreen Prints, presenting them in appreciation for donations to the "Ukraine. Culture of Care" cause.
We extend our gratitude to Chris Hart, a screen printer from Zurich, for generously offering his support and top quality craftsmanship. Together with Chris, we printed 70 unique art-prints in three colors that were later distributed among donors and supporters of the "Ukraine. Culture of Care" event.
The selected 18x26 cm format for the prints allowed us to maintain practicality and ease of framing. Using 280g high-quality pure white cotton paper and manually mixing high-pigment density screen printing paints provided a luxurious feel to the edition.
“What is care? We care about our family and friends, about our planet and its diversity. We care about all sorts of things — from mundane to spiritual. We realised that care has many layers and no matter how it is expressed, it never goes in vain. We cultivate culture of care, as only doing it consciously can help us keep human values.”
Thank you, curators Marina Donina, Kate Ohbaidze and Anastasia Biletska for trusting me with this mission, for this special event and for truly caring. The first charity event, "Ukraine. Culture of Care" in February 2022 was an introduction to contemporary Ukrainian arts and crafts to the Zurich community. During three days, the makers and designers’ exhibition accompanied by a diverse cultural program at Kulturhaus Helferei. The second event took place in March 2023. During the first edition we supported #DemineToSaveLives, a project by Bohdan Hawrylyshyn Family Foundation, and within three days collected 2000 CHF for purchasing a mine detector to demine the territories of Ukraine*.
* Globally, Ukraine holds one of the highest positions in terms of civilian casualties caused by landmines and unexploded ordnances, particularly leading in incidents related to anti-vehicle mines. As of April 2023, an estimated 174,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory remain affected by landmine contamination.
