Entitled Art Armor: Art That Saves Lives, the show comprises 12 exhibits conceived by some of Ukraine’s top artists, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
The artworks are made out of real, battle-hardened bulletproof vests, according to officials.
Oleksandr Kovalchuk, a philanthropist who oversees the project, told reporters: “Our initiative is simple, but also unique. We collected used bulletproof vests that have saved the lives of Ukrainian troops.”
He added that the body armour on display had been worn “not only by career soldiers, but also by IT specialists, doctors, farmers, drivers or students” who had joined the army to help defend their country.
“These are the people who are standing up for the freedom of Ukraine and the entire world on the battlefields of this war,” Kovalchuk said.
‘Opposition to war, desire for peace’
Meanwhile, Wojciech Kolarski, an aide to Polish President Andrzej Duda, told the audience at the show’s opening that the featured artworks “represent a phenomenal example of socially engaged art.”
Kolarski added: “Today, this socially engaged Ukrainian art seeks to convey to us the emotions that express opposition to this war, and a desire for a victorious peace.”
Originally shown in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, the exhibition now embarks on a foreign tour that will culminate with a showcase in London in October, according to officials.
Raising funds for Ukrainian army
Afterwards, the exhibits will go under the hammer to raise funds for the Ukrainian army, organisers said.
Proceeds will be used to buy new protective gear for soldiers, from helmets, gloves and bulletproof vests to headphones, glasses and sapper suits, reporters were told.
The Art Armor project is supported by the Office of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Foreign Ministry in Kyiv and the Armed Forces of Ukraine, among other institutions, the IAR news agency reported.
The exhibition at the Centre for Contemporary Art at Warsaw’s Ujazdowski Castle runs until February 20. Admission is free.
More information about Art Armor: Art That Saves Lives can be found on the project’s official website.
Tuesday is day 335 of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, u-jazdowski.pl, artarmor.org