Dear friends,

In the wake of war in my home country of Ukraine, many of us are wondering how we can help. Fortunately, I’ve been given an opportunity to participate in a truly powerful fundraiser that will directly support the lives and freedom of my people. I’m reaching out today to ask for your support in making a greater impact. Along with over a hundred other artists, I’m auctioning one of my paintings and will donate 100% of the proceeds. This particular piece, "Gymnastic Ring" (lot #35), became symbolic after reading a devastating news article: An 11-year-old girl, Katia Diachenko, was a promising gymnast who tragically lost her life due to Russian bombing in Mariupol. My goal is to personally direct half of the proceeds from this painting to her family.

The biggest impact you can make is by clicking this link and bidding on any of the artworks that speak to you. Though, at the very least, simply sharing this information will raise awareness of this opportunity to directly support the people enduring the crisis in Ukraine. I would greatly appreciate you sharing this page and/or my future posts on Instagram related to this matter. The auction is live online until April 14th, 2022 at 12pm ET.

Impact: Artists in Support of Refugees from Ukraine is an arts fundraiser hosted by Artsy with the institutional partnership of the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, Chicago.

The art world unites to represent the largest international, contemporary collection of Ukrainian artists. Cultural awareness and the artistic preservation of Ukrainians uniquely defines this sale, as most of the participating artists are from Ukraine or of Ukrainian descent. This fundraiser  crosses generational and representational divides to unite for humanitarian aid.

Proceeds from the sale go directly toward four respected grassroots nonprofits: Razom (direct war and refugee crisis support), Insight NGO (LGBTQ Ukrainians), Fight for Right (Ukrainians with disabilities), and The Ukrainian Art Emergency Fund (direct artist support). Artsy will be donating all their proceeds directly to the USA for UNHCR.

Thank you for your support. Дякую 🇺🇦

Sincerely,

Igor Sokol