The Ukrainian artist was in the middle of a project when Russian troops invaded her country, prompting her to leave her studio and stay with her mother. Thoughts of returning to art seemed like a luxury amid all the death and destruction, but the events also provided material for the project he had to abandon unexpectedly six months ago. Now, some of her pieces are among those featured in a global online auction co-organized by a former Winnipegger. “In a mystical way, it’s very much connected to war,” Kayinska said in a telephone interview from Lviv, Ukraine. The work entitled Trauma explores the theme of rehabilitation. With her career on hold, Kayinska knew she had to do something that would not only occupy her time, but allow her to help her people. So she joined Doctors Without Borders as an interpreter and project manager at the humanitarian organization. “Psychologically, it’s easier to overcome this fear and loss of war when you’re surrounded by people and when you’re doing something useful,” he said. Olena Kayinska is an artist based in Lviv and has submitted eight works to be included in the Fight With Art global art auction, including this piece from 2020 called Desert Sand Witches. (The Canadian Press) Another call, this time more in line with Kayinska’s roots, came in the spring when members of FestivALT, a Krakow-based Jewish arts and activism organization, reached out on social media to see if she wanted to participate in the global art auction. called Fight with Art. Winnipeg-born actor and playwright Michael Rubenfeld, who now lives in Krakow, Poland, is co-directing the auction along with James Arellano, who is from California. Rubenfeld saw firsthand the horrific consequences of the war, as many refugees from western Ukraine crossed the border to seek refuge in Poland. He and his wife took in a Ukrainian woman and her mother soon after the invasion. Their home was quickly filled with tourniquets, bandages and other supplies as the woman led efforts to collect supplies for distribution to the Ukrainian military. It was clear that the effects of war did not end at the border, and collective art needed to be pivoted, Rubenfeld said. “There was so much news and so much noise about the war that we wanted to make sure that there was also the contribution of the human element, the cultural element to also keep people rooted in the fact that we are dealing with people.” he said.
“Small miracle” that conveys art in the midst of war
The group came up with the idea of hosting an online global art auction to showcase and support Ukrainian artists whose careers had been interrupted, as well as financially support charities helping with war relief. They managed to source more than 130 pieces of original artwork from around 40 artists across Ukraine. It was no small feat. The team had to figure out how to get art out of a country at war. They built a network of people to help. Their goal was to get everything to Lviv in western Ukraine, where they had two warehouses. The art was then transported by truck to Krakow. It took about two months to put everything together. “It was a minor miracle that we were able to get it all here,” Rubenfeld said. “When the last truck came, we were so glad it arrived because you never know with a country at war.” The collection includes pieces made before and after the start of the war. Artists are fighting to preserve their culture and people against genocide, and the auction is a way to show the world what Ukraine is all about through art, Rubenfeld said. “The exchange is not that you have bought a work of art, it is that you have made a real contribution to a people who are trying to preserve their country and their culture.”
The works reflect the determination of the artists
For Nata Levitasova, practicing art has become a form of therapy. “Art has helped me feel a little less pain even now [takes] my attention from war to art,” he said by phone from the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine. The artist, whose style reflects neo-cubism and geometric simplification, submitted 10 paintings to the auction. All the pieces were created before the invasion, but he has since created a series called “PAINted”, which reflects themes of war. The auction runs until September 4. Back in Lviv, Kayinska says Russian attacks have decreased. She was able to develop four pieces about the war for her project “Trauma”. While the future remains uncertain, he hopes to one day exhibit the work internationally. The artworks coming out of Ukraine show the true spirit, strength and resistance of the artists, he says. “Art shows things we are only now beginning to reveal to ourselves.”
