Art for Ukraine: Buy Prints By Top Photographers and Artists
In response to Russia’s war on Ukraine, London’s art world has taken up the cause, launching special charity sales as part of an ‘Art for Ukraine’ movement to show solidarity with the country. Purchasing a special photographic print or a limited-edition piece of art is just one of the many ways you can support Ukrainians battling on the frontline or being forced to flee their country, along with donating to charity, investing in fashion designers supporting the cause or taking part in one of the initiatives cooked up by London’s top chefs and restaurants. Here we’ve rounded up the charitable art sales to know about and how you can get involved.
Solidarity Prints
Ongoing
In response to the war in Ukraine, the activist non-profit organisation Artists at Risk has put together a print sale featuring works by some of the world’s top creatives. British artist Tacita Dean, American photographer Nan Goldin and idiosyncratic filmmaker Miranda July are just some of the names taking part, with each of the artists donating an artwork as an open edition print. The works included range from thought-provoking photographs to oil paintings and collages, with each print priced at €200. All of the proceeds from the sale will help the NGO to facilitate emergency travel, shelter and financial support for their peers struggling to find safety in Ukraine, as well as supporting BIPoC art workers and their families.
Fast Forward: Women in Photography
Ongoing
Fast Forward, a project based at the University for the Creative Arts, showcases the best of emerging and established photography by women, as well as promoting opportunity and inspiring debate. The team has launched a print sales campaign to help Ukrainian female artists raise money for those in need in the war-torn country. Works – by artists including Kate Kutsevol, Oksana Demianec and Polina Zabizhko – can be viewed online. The minimum donation for each print is £50 (Fast Forward covers the printing and postage), with all proceeds going to charities helping civilians, especially women, children and the aged, on the ground. These include Ukrainian Womanity (Zaporizhia), FreeUa (Kramatorsk) and Patriot (Melitopol).
Bettter.Community
Ongoing
This is a slightly different offering, as instead of an art sale, Bettter.Community has been created as a way to uplift and support the vibrant Ukrainian creative scene. The brainchild of designer and former Vogue Ukraine editor-in-chief Julie Pelipas and Ukrainian fashion brand Anna October, the platform aims to showcase Ukraine’s brightest creatives, in fields ranging from design and photography, to graphic designers, stylists and artists, to “international media, agencies, public institutions, and many more”. Through the portal you can hire creatives for full-time or commission-based work, while it also provides those on the ground with access to legal advice and grants ranging from €500 to €3,000.
Campaign UA / Unite All by Design Academy Eindhoven
Ongoing
This multidisciplinary project has been helmed by the students from Studio UnIdentified at Design Academy Eindhoven, with all of the proceeds going to the NGO United for Ukraine. There are two strands to the initiative, the first being an NFT art video, which features a sweater design created in collaboration with designer Joost Jansen and his studio, Survival of the Fashionest, manufacturer Yarna Knitwear, and knitting school de Amsterdamse Steek. The back of the jumper depicts two raised fists knitted in the colours of the Ukrainian flag and is worn by a model walking through a field of flowers, meant to represent optimism, beauty and new beginnings. As part of the project the knitting pattern for the jumper will be available online so you can create your own, with the aim being that those sweaters will be sent to Ukraine.
‘Solidarity Poster’: The Wrong Shop x Ronan Bouroullec
Ongoing
Acclaimed French artist Ronan Bouroullec has created a new edition of his abstract ‘Solidarity Poster’, a poignant depiction of blue and gold in honour of the national colours of Ukraine. The new work is being sold in collaboration with the eclectic online platform The Wrong Shop for £45 and all of the profits from the poster’s sale will go directly to the DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee) in an effort to raise much needed funds for the Ukrainian Humanitarian Appeal.
Sea Me Print Sale
Ongoing
This Odessa-based linen brand was forced to pause all production of its bedding and sleepwear on 24 February 2022 – when Ukraine was first attacked by Russia – in order to keep its team members safe. Now the founders Eteri and Natalya have launched a series of five prints by local artist Katerina Filimonova, featuring idyllic snapshots of local beaches in Odessa as well as sun-soaked scene in Cap Ferret near Bordeaux. The artworks (which are each part of a signed limited edition of 25) will be shipped when the war is over, so that you can look forward receiving a “piece of Ukraine” through you letterbox.
Designed to Help
Ongoing
Members of the Movimento Club in Chelsea Harbour have come together to create a sale of limited-edition pieces – each of which have been either designed, produced or donated by the members themselves – in order to raise money for those in Ukraine. The initiative was spearheaded by German designer Lucas Faber, whose response to being asked how we could help those caught up in the war was, “What I can offer is my craft”. Works range from intricate ceramic vases and lamps to side tables and Terrazzo benches, with each designer personally selecting individual charities which they would like the proceeds to go towards.
New Blood Art Solidarity with Ukraine Charity Sale
Ongoing
New Blood Art, which specialises in works by carefully curated emerging artists, has launched an ‘Art for Ukraine’ charity sale to raise money for humanitarian efforts in the country. Spearheaded by British artist Ed Saye, all of the works featured in the sale have been donated directly by artists who want to support Ukraine, often due to personal connections to the country: some artists have relatives originally from Ukraine, while one German artist is currently sharing his home with seven Ukrainian refugees. The majority of the money raised will go to the Disaster Emergency Committee Ukraine appeal, while 10% will go to Glib Franko and his young family, a New Blood masters artist living in Ukraine.
Creatives for Ukraine
Ongoing
This open platform launched a few days after the war broke out to provide a place for artists, designers, illustrators and photographers from all over the world to post their visual representations of the conflict – they now have hundreds of artworks being submitted each day. The idea behind it was to amass a body of digital art for Ukraine that would draw attention to the war, as well as express solidarity with the war-torn country. Some of the first to join the platform were renowned Lithuanian illustrators Karolis Strautniekas and Eglė Plytnikaitė, whose works have appeared in The New York Times. While all the images are available to download and distribute for free, they are asking people to donate to the NGO Blue/Yellow, which has been providing support in Ukraine since 2014.
