15 Benefit Sales Supporting Relief Efforts in Ukraine
Since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in late February, artists, gallerists, and other arts professionals have actively sought to support Ukrainians. Here, we share a roundup of exhibitions and online sales on Artsy that are continuing to raise funds for Ukrainian relief efforts.
This current benefit auction on Artsy is raising funds for Ukrainian refugees. A portion of the buyer’s premium will be donated to USA for UNHCR, which is providing aid to displaced families and other individuals who have been impacted by the crisis in Ukraine.
The featured works come from an impressive group of contemporary artists, many of whom are Ukrainian, such as Anastasiya Tarasenko, Julia Beliaeva, and Vita Eruhimovitz. Some of the featured works were selected by curators Katrina Majkut and Nina Mdivani, with the support of the Ukrainian Artists and Allies League, and Adrienne Kochman, curator of the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art in Chicago.
“This is not an ideal time”
Cindy Rucker Gallery
In New York, Cindy Rucker Gallery is presenting a group exhibition of works by contemporary Ukrainian artists, curated by Anastasiya Shelest. The show features Luba Drozd’s site-specific sound and 3D animation installations; Lesia Maruschak’s mixed-media assemblages that are activated by performance; and a rotating showcase of photography taken over the past month in Ukraine, beginning with the work of Kyiv-based photographers Mikhail Palinchak and Roman Pashkovskiy. A portion of the sales from the show will be donated to the humanitarian efforts of Razom for Ukraine.
“ART FOR CHANGE x International Rescue Committee”
Art for Change
Art for Change has become well known for working with esteemed emerging and mid-career artists to produce vibrant prints that are sold to benefit relevant social causes. The organization is donating a portion of the proceeds from works by Tessa Perutz, Amy Bessone, and Hyegyeong Choi to the International Rescue Committee, which provides relief to refugees—particularly women and children—including those fleeing Ukraine.
“WAONE (Ukraine)”
Sapar Contemporary
The founder of New York gallery Sapar Contemporary, Dr. Nina Levent, has a strong connection to Ukraine, having grown up in Kharkiv. The gallery is currently featuring the work of the Kyiv-born artist WAONE, who is beloved worldwide for his vibrant, fantastical public murals. Sapar is donating a portion of the proceeds from sales of WAONE’s work to support relief efforts in Ukraine.
“Ukrainian Refugee Crisis (Slovak border)”
Think + Feel Contemporary
Miami Beach’s Think + Feel Contemporary has organized an online exhibition of Jan Stovka’s photographs of the current Ukrainian refugee crisis. Spending several weeks at the border between Ukraine and Slovakia, the Slovak photographer focuses on the individuals whose lives have been uprooted following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Stovka’s emotionally charged images present the refugees, from children to the elderly, with dignity during times of hardship and uncertainty.
“Support Ukrainian artists”
Arbor.art.room
Bucharest-based gallery Arbor.art.room is presenting the works of Ukrainian artist Olga Kovtun in an online viewing room on Artsy. In addition to vibrant still lifes, Kovtun depicts women in elaborate headdresses and traditional Ukrainian clothing made from layers of billowing fabric. Sales of the digital works will support the National Union of Artists of Ukraine, in addition to Kovtun herself, who had to flee following the outbreak of war, leaving all of her works behind.
“Nikita Kadan | from Kyiv”
Galerie Transit
Galerie Transit is hosting an online sale of Nikita Kadan’s prints, photographs, and installations. Born and based in Kyiv, Kadan has created a body of work that engages with Ukraine’s Soviet past to make sense of its present identity. Kadan’s work in the sale responds to the ongoing war with Russia following the annexation of Crimea in 2014. The prints and photographs reflect upon the effect war has on the psyche and land.
“The Art of Janet Sobel”
The Gallery of Everything
The Gallery of Everything is hosting an online sale and installation of paintings and drawings by Ukrainian American artist Janet Sobel. Early in her career, Sobel, who was one of the few self-taught Abstract Expressionists, made paintings and drawings responding to her Jewish upbringing in Eastern Europe. The colorful pieces bear a striking resemblance to the early work of her peers, including Lee Krasner and Louise Bourgeois. The Gallery of Everything is donating 25 percent of the exhibition’s proceeds to UNHCR and other Ukraine-affiliated charities.
“CONFLICT: A Fundraiser For Ukraine”
Aux Gallery
This group exhibition organized by New York–based Aux Gallery features a variety of figurative paintings and works on paper; participating artists include Diego Zelaya, Zofia Bogusz, and Alex Merritt, among others. Through April 25th, 25 percent of all sales will be donated to UNICEF or a charity of the collector’s choosing in support of Ukraine.
“G4UKRAINE”
ArtUp
The alternative art space ArtUp has organized a show of works by the Georgian NFT community in support of Ukraine. The show features NFTs by 50 of the gallery’s most influential artists, such as Nika Qutelia and Gio Chkhaidze. Royalties from the resale of these NFTs will go towards Ukrainian artists, charities, and/or other causes that the participating artists have chosen.
“Artists for Ukraine”
Gallery Katarzyna Napiorkowska
The Warsaw- and Brussels-based Gallery Katarzyna Napiorkowska has put together an online-only show featuring a plethora of works by nine contemporary Polish artists: Marta Rynkiewicz, Joanna Woyda, Piotr Butkiewicz, Barbara Hubert, Anna Masiul-Gozdecka, Agnieszka Staak, Klaudia Lata, Tomek Mistak, and Sergiusz Powałka. Ten percent of the show’s proceeds will be donated to support Ukraine.
“SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE”
Jeanne Bucher Jaeger
The Parisian gallery Jeanne Bucher Jaeger has organized an online sale with proceeds going towards the Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières. The show brings together blue and yellow works by the gallery’s artists, including Susumu Shingu, Rui Moreira, and Georges Poncet.
“Art For Ukraine”
Avant Gallery
The Palm Beach–based Avant Gallery is supporting the Global Empowerment Mission’s Ukraine Crisis relief fund through this presentation. The show includes the works of three contemporary Ukrainian artists: Lina Condes, who creates playful emoji sculptures; Mark Khaisman, who paints on masking tape to create sepia-toned visions of crowds; and Ola Rondiak, who creates emotive portraits of women through collage and acrylics.
“Nina Murashkina. Tell me truth”
Lysenko MyGallery
The Kyiv-, London-, and Dubai-based Lysenko MyGallery is hosting an online sale of Nina Murashkina’s whimsical paintings and ceramics, including her most recent series of sculptural vases, “Fly Like a Bird”(2022). Murashkina’s work takes a funhouse-mirror look at popular representations of femininity across both Eastern and Western Europe.
“Ukrainian Artist Fundraiser”
Art Leaders Gallery
The Michigan-based Art Leaders Gallery has mounted an exhibition of three Ukrainian artists: Konstantin Savchenko, Anastasiya Skryleva, and Andrii Afanasiev. Throughout April, the gallery will be donating 10 percent of the proceeds from sales of these artists’ works to relief efforts in Ukraine.
