Artist Statment
I have always been connected to Ukraine, as I have deep ties to the country, as my father immigrated from there to the US in 1991. And I never imagined that my ancestral homeland would be invaded.
Over the course of the war, I have traveled to Ukraine on multiple occasions; I have been moved over the course of my trips by my experiences and the people I met. I want a chance to show the world what this war really means, not just the battles but the people fighting them and the civilians who must endure. Yet even with the somber tone of the war, it was apparent that the Ukrainians would not give up, and I could see the determination in the faces of each of the people that I met and the symbols of Ukrainian identity that signified its resistance to Russia and the will to fight. The Ukrainians are fighting an existential crisis that, if they lose, will mean the destruction of an entire country and culture.
With my website, I want to show the world the true face of Russian aggression. The atrocities committed in Bucha, the shelling of innocent civilians in Kyiv, and the indiscriminate killings in the Donbas. I also want to raise funds to help Ukrainians, and on my website, I have a link to my go-fund-me to deliver winter supplies and medical gear to the people who need it the most.
