On February 24th, Russia aggressively invaded Ukraine’s capital Kyiv in a surprise invasion to take over the country by force. The capital was attacked by missile strikes and rockets crashing into residential buildings forcing civilians to flee. More than 2.5 million people have so far fled Ukraine because of Russia’s invasion, in what the UN has called the “fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War Two”. Attacks on Ukrainian civilians by the Russian army have been increasing significantly in the past few weeks, and Ukrainians need aid more than ever.
During this difficult time, people from all sectors have been coming together to help the civilians in Ukraine. Creatives have been raising funds to support Ukraine through NFT auctions, art exhibitions, fashion fundraisers, as well as through platforms such as GoFundMe. The latest surge of NFT fundraisers such as Ukraine DAO created by Nadya Tolonnikova of Pussy Riot, NFT-Ukraine, and TimePieces by TIME magazine have revolutionized the donation process. Art fundraisers such as “Immersive Shevchenko: Soul of Ukraine” by Lighthouse Immersive and “Artgenève” a solo exhibition by artist Lucas Samara organized by Pace Gallery will be donating 100% of proceeds to the Red Cross Emergency Relief fund for Ukraine and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Tanya Bonakdar Gallery announced the art fundraising exhibition “Artists for Ukraine” with 100% of proceeds supporting a number of Ukrainian charities. The American fashion industry has spoken out as well about the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, with brands such as Tory Burch, Coach, Heliot Emil, Dress X, and Collina Strada showing support and donating proceeds to Ukrainian fundraisers for civilians and the army. Along with popular fashion brands showing support, “That 70s Show” stars Mila Kunis and husband Ashton Kutcher launched the “Stand with Ukraine” fundraiser which will match donations up to $3 million in their $30 million fundraising campaign, which has already raised over $20 million.
”We purposefully avoided adding our own art to this release, in a way it’s our strong conceptual artistic statement. People can have different aesthetics, but it’s not about what color we prefer, it’s about uniting to save lives. The Ukrainian flag unites us.” – Nadya Tolonnikova from the Pussy Riot on Ukrainian DAO
The Ukrainian DAO was formed on February 26th by Nadya Tolokonnikova of activist-art group Pussy Riot, Trippy of Trippy Labs, FreeRossDAO’s Alona, PleasrDAO’s CryptoStΞvΞ, who came together to created an NFT of the Ukrainian flag that has raised $7.1 million to support Ukrainian civilian organizations who help those suffering from the war initiated by Putin. All of the proceeds support the “Come Back Alive” fund, which has become known as one of the most effective and transparent Ukrainian charitable and volunteer initiatives.
Another popular NFT fund created to help Ukrainian civilians is NFT-Ukraine organized by Kenny Schachter and David Cash. Many of the works donated to NFT-Ukraine are political and showcase different concerns over the present state of the country. An artist featured in NFT-Ukraine is Italian sculptor Lorenzo Quinn, who sold 100 NFTs on March 2nd called “Support Ukraine, Stop the War” on SuperRare for 0.24 ETH ($690). The profits will go to Ukrainian charities.
TIMEPieces by TIME magazine is an NFT community initiative that represents the importance of enabling us to bring artists together in a collaborative manner to bring unity. TimePieces has launched Artists for Peace, which is a collection of unique 1 of 1 NFTs from over 60 global artists in support of humanitarian and relief efforts in Ukraine. Each piece of art is inspired by the spirit of the Ukrainian people. All of the proceeds will go towards fundraisers that are currently helping the crisis in Ukraine, as well as royalties from primary and secondary sales.
Cryptocurrency isn’t the only way people have been raising funds for the crisis in Ukraine, The Pace Gallery in Geneva, Switzerland is presenting a solo display of artwork by artist Lucas Samara’s radical work, from 1960-2021 called Artgenève. In light of the evolving humanitarian crisis, the Pace Gallery will be donating 100% of the proceeds from artgenève to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Which is currently aiding 660,000 individuals fleeing violence in Ukraine.
The producers behind “Immersive Van Gogh” and “Immersive Frida Khalo” are bringing a new immersive art show in Chicago called “Immersive Shevchenko: Soul of Ukraine”. 100% of the proceeds from ticket sales to the event will be donated to the Red Cross and National Bank of Ukraine Fund.
Tanya Bonakdar Gallery’s online viewing room “Artists for Ukraine” displays the works of a number of celebrated artists including Martin Boyce, Phil Collins, Olafur Eliasson, Mark Manders, Lisa Oppenheim, Sarah Sze, Nicole Wermers, and more, who have donated their art to support Ukraine charities stating, “our hearts go out to the innocent civilians, families, and especially children, caught in the crossfire of violent conflict. Unfortunately, empathy is not enough when confronting such challenging moments in history.” 100% proceeds of the sale of artworks from the online exhibit will support International Committee Of The Red Cross, Fundacja Ocalenie, and Voices Of Children who provide assistance to affected children and families from all over the country, providing emergency psychological assistance, and assisting in the evacuation process.
The ongoing crisis in Ukraine has motivated the fashion industry with a number of fundraising initiatives, with more being announced each day. The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) announced a number of initiatives with a variety of fashion brands to show support and raise funds. Tory Burch is supporting World Central Kitchen, which is currently feeding thousands of Ukrainian refugees. The company has shown support by giving a generous donation and pledged to match any employee donations throughout March. Danish menswear label Heliot Emil has pledged to donate 100% of its pre-order profits from its autumn/winter 2022 collection, which will be shown during Paris Fashion Week on Thursday to UNICEF, in order to aid humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. London-based designer Cressida Jamieson has created a T-shirt embroidered with a “Choose Love” heart in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, to raise money for the Ukraine Crisis Fundraiser. All proceeds will go towards projects that are providing vital aid and services to those still in Ukraine, as well as those fleeing the country. New York designer Collina Strada has pledged to donate proceeds from sales to the United Help Ukraine, a charity helping to provide humanitarian aid and medical supplies on the ground in Ukraine.
Ukrainian fashion-tech company DressX, founded by Daria Shapovalova and Natalia Modenova, created a fashion collection in support of Ukraine and is now asking the fashion community to help support their fellow citizens. The entire proceeds from the collection will be donated to the Ministry of Defense fund to help fight the war.
“We’ve created this collection as a way of starting a donation campaign to support those in Ukraine. We believe that no country or nationality in the world should be in war and conflict. Peace is our biggest virtue, and the goal of humanity is to unite when someone needs help. The power of the community can do miracles. Let’s unite and do these miracles together!” said DressX.
Along with popular fashion brands raising awareness, Ukrainian-born actress Mila Kunis and husband Ashton Kutcher are doing their part to help those impacted by the current unrest in Ukraine. The couple launched a GoFundMe campaign “Stand With Ukraine” and pledged to match up to $3 million in donations to provide support to refugees fleeing the country. With Kunis being born and raised in Ukraine, the cause hits home. On the fundraiser description, Kunis emphasizes the importance of “Stand with Ukraine” and says “While we are witnessing the bravery of Ukrainians, we are also bearing witness to the unimaginable burden of those who have chosen safety. Countless amounts of people have left everything they know and love behind to seek refuge. With nothing but what they could carry, these Ukrainian refugees are in need of housing and supplies right away.” As of today, the GoFundMe page has raised $20 million in donations.
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The couple took to Instagram to update fans on the progress of the Fundraiser. “Thank you to everyone that got us to $20m in less than a week. We can do this. We can hit our goal together. Because we stand together with Ukraine.” #standwithukraine. All proceeds from the “Stand with Ukraine” fundraiser will be donated to Flexport.org and Airbnb.org
