“We & The World” - Art exhibition [09/24/23]

“We & The World”- Kozytskyi Charity Foundation

Presented by Maryana Kravchuk founder of Leaf of Hope Foundation, INC

“SHELTER” exhibition

"SHELTER" is a part of the "WE AND THE WORLD" project, instituted by the Kozytskyi Charity Foundation. This foundation was established in the beginning of March 2022. Over the past 18 months, the foundation has staged 25 charitable art exhibitions in 12 countries.

This marks the debut exhibition of our project in Boston.

Why did we choose the Shelter concept?

For all Ukrainians, shelter symbolizes safety, not necessarily physical, but certainly psychological.

When the siren goes off, you have only eight minutes to gather what's essential and make haste to a sanctuary. The children clutch their teddy bears, blankets, and cherished toys... In the shelter, your companions are predominantly mothers, girls, grandmothers, and children. It's during these moments that the strength of women, their determination, their versatility, and independence, manifest in a profound way... Plenty can be read about feminism and the distinctiveness of femininity in the columns of globally acclaimed magazines, or be watched in intriguing movies or talk shows, but the full magnitude of women's resilience is visibly evident when you--we--they, protect children or pets with our body. Women serving on the front lines, defending their homeland in the ranks of the Armed Forces are on another level altogether.

Our project exhibits work by nine female artists who reside in distinct regions of Ukraine, each upholding the cultural front in a unique manner, and each reflect on daily events through their artwork. They don't depict the war; they portray the courage, motivation, strength of people.

Each artist selected a distinct style and technique, infusing their respective narrative with individual meaning, guided by their unique emotional experiences and the identity of their environment.

A dedicated section of the exhibit showcases the work of Maryana Kravchuk, founder of Leaf of Hope Foundation, a Ukrainian woman who is a part of the team that saves lives on the daily basis in emergency department. For Maryana, painting is as experience of a mental state, expression of emotions. An American of Ukrainian descent, she practices medicine on daily basis and art is like a medicine for her body and soul says Maryana. Her artistic journey evolved from an appreciation of beauty to the act of its creation. The significant narrative embedded within her artworks harks back to the homeland of her childhood. Sunflower motifs, grain, benevolent angels from dreams, or even falling windows – these elements hint at a certain nostalgia and concurrent pride in her affiliation to a country that currently commands global attention. Her color choices are rich with symbolism: profound blues, diverse shades of white, and hues of yellow and gold. Maryana exhibits a particular fondness for gilding, a preference rooted in her primary sources of inspiration: the golden mosaics adorning the apse of St. Sophia of Kyiv, the golden treasures of the Scythian-Sarmatian culture, and the golden domes of Ukrainian churches. Through her highly stylized, aesthetically refined depictions of Ukrainian imagery, Maryana Kravchuk communicates the distinct and resilient Ukrainian culture to Americans via her art.

Yet, our exhibition extends beyond the realm of women's art.

Included in the exhibition are works by four artists, originating from Lviv and Kyiv. Notably, despite the shelling and blackouts, Taras Haida and Oleksii Shcherbak have continued their "artistic" work in Kyiv. Art produced by Kyiv artists today is often labeled as "art without a roof overhead" or "art under execution". Their paintings invoke themes of escape and enforced blindness, with the recurring presence of a bird—an element that often symbolizes a route out of a deadlock.

Vova Keno, from Lviv, has a predilection for animal portraiture. Specifically, he paints dogs, potentially his own canine companion. The motif of an animal wise and loyal to their owner has resonated with many artists. After all, when discussions turn towards war and loss, the sanctity of life extends beyond the human realm!

Oles Dereha crafts depictions of people, titans, and humanity. His fauvistic narratives teem with images of blissful individuals and elements of the "tree of life" that augment the fictional pre-war world of a Ukrainian.

On a broader scale, the concept of the charity exhibition "SHELTER" resonates with a profound national longing to fight for freedom and peace and finally regain a sense of safety and security within our homeland. Empower women and show how strong they are, to show how motherhood is powerful and nothing can supersede the love.

The "SHELTER" exhibition showcases 28 artworks from Ukraine. Proceeds from this upcoming exhibition will go to the artists and to fund scholarships for students affected by the war. By procuring a painting crafted by a Ukrainian artist, you contribute not only to the artist's livelihood but also a gift of a "year of study" for students whose life were disrupted by the war.

Proceeds from upcoming event collected by Leaf of Hope Foundation will go to First Medical Union, emergency-hospital.lviv.ua that Maryana Kravchuk is working closely since 2022. Helping children in hospital in Lviv is Maryana’s mission since she is working in emergency department in one of the hospital around Boston area she is focusing on helping children that needs medical care.

Art director of the Kozytskyi Charity Foundation,

PhD in Arts

Khrystyna Berehovska

“We & The World” - Art exhibition

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“We & The World” - Art exhibition

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