As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to wreak havoc on the livelihoods of displaced Ukrainian civilians, international communities have developed unconventional and creative ways to support them. Several online charity auctions such as Vandalz for Ukraine, ArtWaRks Ukraine, UkraineDAO, Holy Water and RtistiQ, organised by the NFT community, are leveraging their unique digital resources to provide relief to the country’s war-stricken people and their defence and healthcare systems.
The community of brilliant Ukrainian artists is also bearing the brunt of the tragic war. After being forced to flee the country to seek refuge and abandon their painstakingly created physical artworks, artists are turning to digital platforms to safeguard their source of income with some help from philanthropic initiatives.
Through their creations, many NFT artists are expressing their fierce nationalism, enthusiasm for combat and regalia, optimism for a better future, frequently morphed into mournful reflection, and feelings of loss, betrayal, pacifism and rage. Joining forces with NFT platforms, Ukrainian artists have come forward to support their homeland along with their own livelihoods.
The charity auction for Ukrainian artists
The NFT marketplace, RtistiQ, has rushed to aid the suffering Ukrainian artists by organising a charity NFT auction that will showcase their artworks digitally and connect them with buyers and donors. The proceeds from the auction will directly go to the artists.
This charity will provide immediate financial assistance to the artists affected by the unprecedented turmoil and trauma brought on by the war. RtistiQ is hoping to attract generous bidders to help reduce the burden of the people facing this dire humanitarian crisis.
The company will announce the roster of participating Ukrainian artists and their chosen works for the NFT drop in upcoming days. The online charity auction will take place from 7 to 10 April, 2022 on the RtistiQ website.
About RtistiQ
RtistiQ is an NFT backed art platform and community that strives to bridge the gap between artists and art connoisseurs and buyers via Blockchain, NFT and NFC technologies in a transparent way. The unique marketplace showcases artworks created by talented artists from over 40 countries across traditional and digital mediums.
The platform had acquired exclusive digital NFTs of iconic artworks by the legendary Indian artist, Raja Ravi Varma, in February 2022.
With an aim to radically shift the course of female representation in the world of NFTs, the company is also planning to showcase a collection of specially curated digital NFTs by women artists on their platform in the near future.
Meanwhile, here are ten Ukrainian NFT artists that you can support
Anastasia Mihaylova
Anastasia Mihaylova, an artist passionate about photography since the young age of 14 years, has now become a coveted addition to the NFT community. The photographer captures achingly beautiful nude images in an attempt to portray human beings in their rawest, most unfiltered form, existing as children of nature.
Mihaylova recently took to Twitter to express her gratitude towards the NFT community’s overwhelming love and support shown to her and other Ukrainian artists. “Many many thanks to every collector who is writing, helping and supporting now! Your help is priceless now for every Ukrainian!”– the tweet read.
Check out her NFT collection here.
Alexis Olin
A talented film and digital photographer, Alexis Olin has extensive experience in the field of photography, fashion, music and painting of over 20 years. With gorgeous artwork reflecting French and renaissance influences, Olin’s dreamy pieces have been featured in several exhibitions in Kyiv and around the globe. His artistic abilities span across mediums like paintings, drawings, prints, photographs and clothing.
He also actively participates in the NFT community and is the creator of numerous NFTs, including Meditation Rabbit, which is a digital assortment of collectible rabbits that ‘empowers people to experience their lives to its fullest potential’. To know about this artist, check out his photographs on Instagram.
Buy his NFTs here.
Artem Humilevskiy
The budding NFT artist, Artem Humilevskiy, endeavours to depict body positivity and self-acceptance in the form of nude self portraits. He presents an ironic take that challenges society’s unrealistic beauty standards through his playful photography.
He is quickly gaining recognition in the NFT space and has created several 1/1 pieces, ready to mint on the platform Foundation. His latest digital project, Giant, includes 50 NFTs priced at 0.65 Ethereum (ETH) each. Born out of research and hard work of two years, the project captures human vulnerability and his personal journey of self-love and body acceptance.
Check out his NFTs here.
Olena Stepanovych
With a bachelor’s degree from the Art Academy in Kyiv, Ukraine, Olena Stepanovych is a painter, illustrator and muralist. Her abstract, realistic and impressionistic artworks are for sale on the RtistiQ NFT platform. With prices ranging between USD 1200 to 1900, the artist’s paintings are a treat to the eyes, transporting the viewer to the idyllic streets of Italy.
To support and uplift the artist, buy her digital paintings here.
Irina Loktionova
With a quirky and youthful style of painting, her oil on canvas illustrations are digitised and showcased on the RtistiQ website for sale. Her six vibrant and joyful animal-based art pieces are priced at US$100 each. To support Loktionova, buy her art here.
Hnatiuk Olena
The artist, graphic designer, illustrator and teacher has won several accolades, including the All-Ukrainian creative international project-competition ‘Art-Nova’ in Ukraine and London for three consecutive years.
Her emotion-evoking figurative, impressionistic, contemporary and conceptual paintings are part of private collections in Ukraine, USA and Germany. With a master’s degree in art from the Kherson National Technical University, Olena’s digital artworks are available for sale on the RtistiQ website for prices ranging between US$500 to US$2,000.
Buy her pieces here.
Ksenia Selianko
With several heart-wrenching artworks celebrating the never-say-die spirit of the brave Ukrainians, Ksenia presents to us artistic solace amidst an unspeakable crisis. Eleven of her digital paintings are available on the RtistiQ website for sale for prices starting from USD 200 upto USD 500. Comprising pieces titled Kyiv, Ukraine. We believe!, you can buy the artist’s watercolour paintings here, or head over to her beautiful Instagram feed to connect with her.
You can also find 250 of her graphic, architecture, still life and food, abstract, landscape, nautical and flower themed original watercolour paintings and prints for sale on Artfinder.
Yura Miron
Yura Miron is a visionary visual artist, musician, psychonaut and an OG crypto-art collector based in Kyiv, Ukraine. His vibrant and mesmerising artworks are influenced by unique personal experiences such as psychedelic trips, lucid dreaming and meditation. After Miron earned a prestigious co-sign from X-Copy in 2021, NFT collectors scrambled to grab his remaining 1/1 art pieces and significantly raised his demand in the digital marketplace.
To show solidarity with Ukraine and its people and to raise valuable funds, DPZ and Organic Material have organised ‘Art For Ukraine’, a collection of digital artworks created by artists minting on the Tezos blockchain.
All the money raised through the sales will be donated to the ‘Art for Ukraine’ fund. You can find Miron’s fund-raising token named ‘inseparability’ for sale here.
Mykola Dosenko
With an experience of over 15 years in creating three dimensional and pixel art since 2007, Mykola Dosenko is an art director, digital artist, designer and animator from Kyiv. The multidisciplinary artist has worked with coveted companies such as Xbox, Hulu, A24 films, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, EA Sports and Ford, among others, during the span of his prolific career.
More recently, he has been making waves in the NFT space and has digital art available for sale on the OpenSea crypto marketplace. Joining forces with other NFT artists, Dosenko has deployed several NFT drops to raise funds for Ukraine since the Russian invasion.
Chernaya Rechka
A figurative NFT artist from Kyiv, Chernaya Rechka is known for her hauntingly beautiful oil paintings rendered in monochromatic dark, melancholic shades. The artist is currently based in Hamburg, Germany since was compelled to leave Kyiv when the war began.
She is new to the NFT space and started minting her art pieces on the Tezos blockchain in early 2022. Rechka is also active on Instagram and accepts art commissions online.
Buy her NFTs here.
(Main and featured image credit: Yura Miron/@YuraMironArt/Twitter)
Eesha is a passionate digital nomad with a master’s degree in architecture and industrial design from Politecnico di Milano, Italy. A jack of all trades who enjoys writing art, architecture, travel and lifestyle features, she is found petting dogs, taking walks in nature and sniffing books in her free time.
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