World-renowned Icons on Ammunition Boxes to be displayed at Rotary Action Summit
story by: JAMES BOLTON
Icons on Ammunition Boxes is a conceptual project by two Ukrainian artists, which first launched in 2014 following the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine and Crimea.
Religious icons have been painted onto real wooden ammunition boxes, all of which have been used in the conflict zones within and surrounding Ukraine.
The artists behind the works are Sofiia Atlantova and Oleksandr Klymenko, both of whom live and work in Kyiv.
Each of the 16 boxes feature a religious icon, along with explanation of where the ammunition box was originally sourced.
The conflict acts as the canvas for the work, with many of the boxes recovered from the frontline by medical volunteers.
For both artists, bringing the stark reality of war into the work was vital, juxtaposing it with the importance of faith and peace.
Speaking to Church Times in 2023, Atlantova said: “For many (those who are far from the front line), the war unwittingly turns into a picture in the news. The boxes that came from the war zone are witnesses of real battles, each of them fought.”
“Also, for me personally, writing an icon on the ammo boxes is a kind of act of awareness of what is happening and, at the same time, a reminder to myself that faith, mercy, beauty, and humanity continue to exist despite everything.”
“THE BOXES THAT CAME FROM THE WAR ZONE ARE WITNESSES OF REAL BATTLES, EACH OF THEM FOUGHT.”
For the artists Sofiia Atlantova and Oleksandr Klymenko, the work speaks to the idea of maintaining hope and faith in the darkest of circumstances.
The icons have been displayed across the UK at the likes of Guildford Cathedral and the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, as well as more than 20 countries around the world, from the EU Parliament to Wallace Hall in New York City.
Exhibitions have been a joint project with Guildford Chantries and Kyiv Capital Rotary clubs, working with Ukrainian environmental charity Peli can live. The project is also supported by Hope4Creation and British-Ukrainian Aid.
The icons are now back in the UK and will be on display at the Rotary Action Summit in Newcastle (8th – 10th November), either side of showcases in Edinburgh, Newcastle Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament in London.
Yana Bobrova, a member of Kyiv-Capital Rotary, will take to the stage on Friday 8th November during the Power of Rotary day, to talk more about the project.
All the icons are for sale, with over £200,000 being raised so far, which has been used to purchase medical equipment and vehicles which are saving lives of civilians and soldiers on the frontline.
Book tickets to the Rotary Action Summit in Newcastle at: rotarygbi.org/newcastle24
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