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The second edition of Mural Social Club with permanent support from Sky Art Foundation and Dmitriy Palienko has begun! This years edition entitled “Back to School! Ukraine” will be co-curated with French artist Julien Malland aka Seth Globepainter and will be dedicated to the mural art in schools, kindergartens and other locations, related with children or education, in socially vulnerable zones.
Before the beginning of new school year, during summer 2017, the street artists will paint in Kyiv, Kovel, Volnovaha, Popasnaya, Chernihiv and Cherkassy. It will be an international affair, with artists from Israel, Portugal, France, Argentina, Chili, Russia, South Africa, Italy and Ukraine. All have already confirmed their participation in this project.
Last year Seth brought fifteen international street artists to go “Back to School! China” in disadvantaged locations across Mainland China from July to September 2016, promoting education and creativity of children. The project was a great success so it is great to see it come to the Ukraine.
“This year, together with Sky Art Foundation, international and local partners, we decided to implement the social art project on the national level. I think that positive influence of contemporary art on the early stage of development promotes esthetic education and world view expansion of children, who are rarely acquainted in everyday life with the contemporary art and pieces of creative urbanism. We hope that the project like this one, will inspire a lot of kids to the creation of their own works or creativity and will motivate them to look at other angle або differently at the walls of their home towns.” Oleg Sosnov, co-curator.
“Back to School! Ukraine” first mural “Popasna’s swing” was created by Seth Globepainter/Seth Land on the east of Ukraine, in the small town Popasna, close to frontline in Luhansk region. This mural is painted on the wall of the school, that was damaged by pro-russian artillery in 2014.
On June 19, 2014, Ukrainian forces secured the village from pro-Russian separatists, however on July 8, 2014, the pro-Russian separatists retook control of the city. On 22 July 2014 the pro-Ukrainian Donbas Battalion retook the city from the pro-Russian separatists. Since then the city comes under periodic attack from the separatists.
“This year we decided to devote our work to children and create murals on the schools, nursery schools, institutes and even on the juvenile penitentiary. Esthetic education is a very important element of children’s general education, but, judging from the appearance of almost all of our schools and preschools, only few people ponder over it. We want to bring the art to children, who live in remote corners of Ukraine, including kids who are going through hardship. Be updated with our work and get involved in our Mural Social Club: Back to School project, because only with a help of not indifferent people , we can create a little miracle for our children” Dmytro Palienko, founder of Sky Art Foundation.
Mural Social Club state that the message is simple: we need to contrapose creation and imagination to agression and violence, especially in the place where children were involved in armed conflict recently and still live in it.
Project was mainly supported by UNICEF Ukraine, who implements large humanitarian programs in post-war regions.
Photo Credit Mural Social Club