August 23, 2022

"Flowers for Hope": Healing or Harming?


"Flowers for Hope": Healing or Harming?
Sunflowers painted on the wreckage of cars in Irpin, Ukraine. Twitter, NEXTA

Ukrainian and American artists paint sunflowers on burned cars in Irpin in the Kyiv region, where 269 civilians have died Russia's war on Ukraine. This is the first mural of their project "Flowers for Hope," which aims to lift spirits and raise money for local humanitarian efforts.

American painter Trek Kelly gathered several Ukrainian artists to paint murals in areas ravaged by the war, as a way to honor Ukrainians who have died. Elena Yanko, an artist from Netishyn, explained: "We are looking for different locations where the consequences of hostilities are most shown... There we draw sunflowers – the Ukrainian national symbol of the memory of fallen soldiers – in order to salute those people who died... people who carried out the evacuation from Irpin; people who survived those terrible events; people whose cars have been burned." 

In addition to the murals, the artists plan to sell digital images of the work as NFTs (non-fungible tokens) to financially support the community. "The money will be directed to the restoration of the Irpin House of Culture," Kelly said, "to the support of women who survived the occupation and to various humanitarian projects."

Though city authorities are offering locations for future murals, the project remains controversial. The previous owners of one of the cars used in the mural thanked the artists "for repurposing the cars into something more beautiful." However, other locals are offended by efforts to beautify the devastation caused by the war.

You Might Also Like

Emma Kaplon

Emma Kaplon

Emma Kaplon is a student of Russian at the University ff North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Spot the Difference
  • April 22, 2022

Spot the Difference

Zoya Cherkassky-Nnadi is creating pieces of art comparing the Ukraine she knew in childhood and the war-riddled Ukraine we see today.
An NFT to Unite Under
  • March 12, 2022

An NFT to Unite Under

An NFT of the Ukrainian flag raises over $6.7 million for the war against Russia.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955