“We are a country with a great history and deep morality” – President Volodymyr Zelensky, March 27, 2022.

UK for Ukraine charity has gathered dozens of renowned Ukrainian artists to present nearly 200 of their paintings at the “UK for Ukraine: Support Through Art” exhibition and fundraiser, which will unite painters and artists of various fields, to take you on a journey and experience a vibrant palette of Ukrainian culture.

Ukraine is one of the largest countries in Europe. Today there are more than 65 million Ukrainians living in Ukraine and around the world. Culture and art of Ukraine have been developing for more than a thousand years.

World-renowned names like Kazimir Malevich and Vasiliy Kandinski had their artistic foundation and were formed as artists in Ukraine. But apart from that, Ukraine has also enriched the world’s art with non-academic painting styles. Maria Prymachenko’s “Naïve Art” astounded the world. The vibrant, expressive and rural style she yielded won her a gold medal in 1937 at the World Exhibition of Artists in Paris.

Ukraine and its people have been inspiring Pablo Picasso who was utterly fascinated by paintings of Ukrainian folk artist Kateryna Bilokur and her unique style of making her paints herself from organic plant materials, and brushes from a cat fur.

Petrykivka painting (or simply “Petrykivka”), which was born in the Dnieper region, gave the world the music and soul of picturesque Ukraine, transmitting it through paints. Petrykivka decorative painting is a phenomenon of the Ukrainian ornamental folk art that has been inscribed on the Representative List
of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. There will be a great representation of Petrykivka pieces in the “UK for Ukraine: Support Through Art” collection.

Contemporary Ukrainian artists are among the most celebrated in the world, with the art world fascinated by their talent and waiting for their works. We are delighted to be able to display the works of both talented young approaching artists and some rather famous ones.

Roman Opaliński is one of the most well-established Ukrainian artists of our exhibition. The way he creates his works reflects the impact of Old Orthodox icons, Ukrainian folk art, Picasso, Malewich, and the precursors of French Impressionism. Opalinski has participated in many national and international exhibitions in Poland, Germany, The Netherlands, France, Slovakia, Italy, Switzerland and London. Selected for the Chianciano Art Museum and the London Art Biennale, Opalinski won second prize at the Chianciano Art Biennale as well as awards all over the world.

You would also have an opportunity to enjoy the artworks of Sergei Ovcharuk. Sergei’s paintings offer a fresh view on the classic style, and easily immerse us in the mysteriously spiritual world of impressionism. The amazing combination of the old master’s painting traditions with expressive colours awakens imagination and leads to deep philosophical thinking. He has participated in both personal and group art exhibitions, international art fairs in the USA, UK, Hong Kong, Monaco, Switzerland, Austria, Lithuania, Estonia, Ukraine, and his paintings are also represented in the private collections in USA, Canada, UK, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Czech Republic, Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, UAE, Qatar and Israel.

Another very well-known Ukrainian artist that we are very proud to present is Oleg Shupliak (Shuplyak). He creates artistic works including optical illusions and is best known for his imaginative portrait heads named ‘Hidden Images’. Oleg kindly provided us with his digital art and prints, that have been created since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Oleg expresses himself in painting, photography, graphics, illustration and animation. In 1991 he graduated from the Architecture Department of the Lviv Polytechnic National University and since 2000 has been a member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine. His fascinating art is displayed at the National Museum of Taras Shevchenko, Ministry of Ukrainian Culture in Kyiv and private collections in countries around the world.

Today, Ukrainian artists want one thing – peace in Ukraine!

With a brush and paint, they stride towards peace and an end to this war using their canvases. They are ready to sell their current and previous works to donate money to help Ukraine. They want their paintings to be a shield for the soldiers who defend our homeland, for our mothers who remain in Ukraine, for the children who are forced to see the disaster of war in a peaceful country in the heart of the 21st century Europe.

All Ukrainians now have one dream – for Christmas to all of us have the opportunity to gather in family homes and dream of the revival of our Ukraine to the music of Shchedryk “Carol of the Bells” by the Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych.