“I don’t want this war to exist. And I don’t want this project to exist either.” Ukrainian artist Oleksandr Klymenko speaking to Reuters in 2021.
Icons on Ammo Boxes: the hope of war comes to Guildford Cathedral this Easter.
Icons painted on ammunition boxes from war zones across Ukraine have gone on display in Guildford Cathedral serving as silent witnesses to the wars raging around the world at this most profound time in the Christian calendar.
This conceptual project by Ukrainian artists, Sofiia Atlantova and Oleksandr Klymenko opened this week in time for Holy Week and Easter.
Icons on Ammunition Boxes is a joint project between the Rotary Clubs of Guildford Chantries and Kyiv-Capital and is supported by the charitable foundations, Ukrainian “Peli can live” and British “Hope 4 Creation”.
The icons are for sale and all funds raised will support a new mobile hospital in the Donbas region. Since it was launched in 2014, the project has raised over $300,000.
It is the third time the exhibition has been on display in the UK, it has been shown in 20 countries and the EU Parliament since its launch sharing its unique message of war and of peace, of human suffering and of hope with its underlying message that violence and pain can be transfigured into peace and relief.
“The artwork is stunningly beautiful,” said Secretary of Guildford Chantries, Mike Danson. “It carries a strong message of hope and defiance. It is an opportunity not to be missed!”
Speaking to Reuters and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in 2021, Klymenko said:
“Most people think of this war as something very far away. It was important for me to show people that the war is real, that this ammunition box is real, and it stored real weapons that killed real people.”
He told Reuters:
“I don’t want this war to exist. And I don’t want this project to exist either.”
The artists, Sofiia Atlantova and Oleksandr Klymenko both live and work in Kyiv and are graduates of the National Academy of Fine Art and Architecture.
Icons on Ammunition boxes – Guildford Cathedral until 1 April. The artists will return for six weeks next Easter (2025) bringing more icons painted on ammunition boxes
