On March 21 and 22 the virtual reality exhibition War Up Close & Arts will take place in Castlegar.
The exhibition has already been showcased at renowned educational institutions across North America and Europe and is now coming to Selkirk College and the Castlegar Community Complex.
War Up Close is a unique digital project that combines an interactive platform documenting the realities of war with a VR exhibition that has been travelling the world for two years, sharing the truth about Ukraine’s ongoing struggle. This project aims to preserve historical memory, support academic research, and engage the international community in understanding the scale of the tragedy and the heroism of the Ukrainian people.
Despite the constant danger, photographers from the War Up Close project risk their lives to capture the brutal reality of Russia’s crimes against Ukraine. Through state-of-the-art VR technology, visitors can immerse themselves in the realities of war, witness the destruction of infrastructure, and hear the stories of those affected.
"At our exhibitions, I often hear questions like: 'Where are all these people? How many families have been torn apart? How many lives have been lost?' What we show is very different from what you see on TV. Our photos do not depict dead bodies or blood. Instead, panoramic images and drone footage capture the destruction of cities, schools, museums, hospitals — clear evidence of Russian crimes on our land.
"This exhibition aims to help the world understand the scale of the catastrophe and the genocide of the Ukrainian nation. We sincerely thank Maple Hope Foundation, Sustain Ukraine, Selkirk College, and invaluable support of our initiative," says Olena Heichenko, coordinator of War Up Close project in Canada.
The photo exhibition Eyes of Mariupol, also was displayed in countries around the world, curated by Anastasiia Dmytruk. The project is dedicated to the defenders of Mariupol and Azovstal, aiming to show the world that Ukrainian defenders are not imaginary combat units but real, beautiful, loving, and alive people who are currently defending the security of the entire democratic world.
Part of the exhibition will also feature artworks by children from The Sunflower Dreams Project. Each piece is a small story of children who lived in these destroyed homes in the war-torn east and south, now living as refugees in their own land, in Lviv.
The program is inspired by Lviv art lecturer at Lviv Polytechnic University, Nataliia Pavliuk and her daughter, Yustyna, their tireless and courageous program to help traumatized children heal through the peace of creating through art.
“A child’s art is the purest form of expression, there is nothing between the child’s heart and the paintbrush,” says Pavliuk.
The children paint with joy, hope and resilience in the brightest colours. But once you know how to look, you see their trauma, loss and pain from war.
Let’s preserve history together and share the truth with the world!
The events will take place at Selkirk College, Castlegar Campus on March 21 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. On March 22 the event will take place at the Castlegar & District Community Complex from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This initiative is made possible thanks to the generosity of donors from Canada, and other countries.
