UKRAINIAN BEASTS UNLEASHED
FUNDRAISING AND CULTURAL RESISTANCE CAMPAIGN
As the Russian army moved forward and occupied Ukrainian territories, it destroyed not only people’s homes and critical infrastructure, but also the nation’s intangible assets and cultural heritage – with the blatantly declared purpose of destroying Ukrainian identity. Currently, the Ministry of Culture has registered more than 1270 cultural and historical sites that have been completely destroyed or partially damaged. In particular, Ukraine had nearly lost the collection of Maria Prymachenko’s artworks kept in Ivankivsky District Historical and Local History Museum (Kyiv Region). Fortunately, all 14 paintings were saved by locals, but this incident became a prerequisite for the project.
As a year of the full scale brutal war proved, the more harsh attempts the enemy takes to destroy everything Ukrainian, the more indestructible, viable and viral it becomes; the more intensively it spreads and grows, in the atmosphere of the world’s admiration and support. Ukrainian culture and essense don’t cease to exist after Russian missile attacks and physical destruction — because, just as the map is not the territory, the museum is not the walls. Art, its imprint in the nation’s consciousness and genome are not as easily destructible as someone would like it to be. Neither are Maria Primachenko’s fabled plots and realms — her unimaginable animals and plants left the walls of the destroyed local museum to walk into a bigger world. To fit in the aesthetics of modern European cities — in the form of monumental murals, guerilla street art, bright trendy clothes, amusing stickers and memes, stories and media articles.
And here is an obvious allegory at the heart of the project: Ukrainian spirit and temper are like these Prymachenko’s beasts — whimsical and incredible, and just as much kind and amusing, as wild and irrepressible. So, while the Russian army is unsuccessfully trying to “liberate” Ukraine from its identity and independence by destroying churches, monuments and museums, the “liberated ” Ukrainian beasts expand their habitat range wildly and worldwide.
Because this is exactly what happens when one unleashes the beast. ; )
The first stage of the UKRAINIAN BEASTS Unleashed campaign was a mural on the wall of Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital, the country’s main children’s hospital. In just one day, the monochrome building #15 turned into a painting by Prymachenko in the color of a deep blue summer sky, with fairy animals peeping out of it. And this is only the first mural — the collaboration of Ohmatdyt Hospital and Maria Prymachenko’s Family Foundation implies a whole series of them. Implementing art therapy practices, Ohmatdyt Hospital strives to transform its space into an open-air gallery of modern Ukrainian art. As well as to change the perception of a children’s clinic as an abode of fear and anxiety — after all, it is also a place of scientific miracles, healing and hope.
Opening the mural at Ohmatdyt Hospital, the press conference and the concert for the little patients.
The 2d stage of the UKRAINIAN BEASTS Unleashed campaign was a fundraising campaign for the construction of a new multifunctional art residence and museum of Maria Prymachenko in her native Bolotnia village (Kyiv Region). The architectural project was developed for Primachenko Family Foundation by Victoria Yakusha, a well-known architect, artist, designer, founder of the subject design studio FAINA and Yakusha Studio. After all, war is not an excuse for not making plans. Everyone who cares is able to contribute to the future construction, with pleasant bonuses for themselves — by buying creative merch and fashionable clothes with Maria Prymachenko’s beasts on the project website. 80% of profit goes to the construction of the art center, and 20% are reinvested in products reproduction.
The series of the merch products with Maria Prymachenko’s artworks was also developed. In some cases, prints are taken from artworks as they are, in some — there’s a sort of creative re-thinking takes place, yet every print is approved and authorized by Maria Prymachenko’s Family Foundation.
First (winter) and second (summer) drops.
Credits:
Creative Producer: Natasha Kto Nado
Executive Producer: Eugeny Skrypnyk
Art Director: K., Kto Nado
Programming & support: Ivan Dyuldya
PR & SMM: Iryna Semenyuk
Music & Sound Production: Our Atlantic
Models: Katerina Drobovik, Nikita Donets’, Alexey Leonov, Tucha, Ivan BlessinSession