The situation in Ukraine has impacted both of us in different ways , but most notably what struck us is that the awareness of this war hasn ’ t been prominent in our everyday social lives , nor in our school lives . As a result , we wanted to create an event to bring this further into people ’ s consciousness .
The evening began with a speech by Nikita , and an exhibition of his paintings was accompanied by a very moving speech from the Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry Muratov , expertly translated by Ilya in front of a packed Pamoja Hall . We picked an exhibition as art is the easiest way to express emotions and make people at least somehow relate to the situation . On the day of the exhibition , we felt a mixture of emotions , from pride to hope , but also a lot of anxiety .
The exhibition itself consisted of 25 pieces of art created by Nikita in the space of two months . It explored the issues of war and the mixture of emotions all Ukrainians are feeling right now . The pieces focused on issues such as guilt , violence , the feeling of alienation in a new society , PTSD , survivor ’ s guilt , nostalgia , patriotism and much more . I ( Nikita ) will be working hard to continue spreading , and in this case , maintaining awareness about the ongoing war in Ukraine with my art .
All the original pieces of art that were for sale sold out on the night and we sold over 80 digital prints as well , in the end raising a total of almost £ 13,000 . Both of us would like to say a special thank you to Mr and Mrs Willis , Dr Ives , the staff who helped us , the catering staff and finally the students of Aisher House who helped serve drinks and did a great job of selling the artwork . Once again , we cannot thank enough those who attended , supported and organised this event with us !
Nikita Ivaniuta and Ilya Melamed , Lower Sixth
SEVENOAKS SCHOOL 2022-2023 69