#StandWithUkraine: Artists Show Solidarity and Hope for Peace

We share 15 artworks by creatives which protest, raise awareness and funds, and share a message of hope

At Domestika, we believe that a supportive community can go a long way—especially in difficult times. Right now, the Ukrainian community is suffering, with the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis reshaping their lives. For the last couple of weeks, artists have been speaking out, both from within the country and from around the world.

Through art, humans share their experiences, emotions, and stories. And now, with powerful hashtag initiatives like #WeWantPeaceWeek and #MakeArtNotWar, artists have been leveraging the power of social media to raise a collective voice against war.

We highly encourage a look through the amazing compilations of artwork these hashtags offer, but for today we’re sharing fifteen creative works by artists (including members of the Domestika community) who have contributed to the conversations.

1. Fatinha Ramos

Fatinha Ramos (@fatinha_ramos) is a Portuguese visual artist, illustrator, and Domestika teacher based in Antwerp. She shared this image in the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag, as part of a larger movement of illustrating doves for peace.

2. Veronika Kotyk

Veronika Kotyk is a Kyiv-based illustrator. She has been updating her Instagram with moving illustrations that capture resilience. With this image she shared, “a huge THANK YOU to everyone who stands with Ukraine.” Sunflowers are the national flower of Ukraine, and have become a popular symbol for this protest effort, alongside peace doves.

3. Salmorejo Studio

The iconic peace symbol is combined in a minimalist image with the dove in this piece. Salmorejo Studio is an award-winning creative studio run by designer and illustrator Antonio Relaño.

4. Aurélia Durand

Aurélia Durand (@4ur3lia) is a Paris-based artist who teaches inclusive character design at Domestika. With this post, as well as showing support to the people of Ukraine, she brings attention to the Black people living or staying in Ukraine, who have faced racism as they attempt to evacuate.

In an upcoming NFT collection from The Black Arts Project which Aurélia has collaborated with, sales of the certain artworks (like this one in the Ukrainian flag colors) will contribute to Unicef and the Ubele initiative.

5. Nina Dzyvulska

A Ukrainian illustrator based between Kyiv and Kherson, Nina Dzyvulska has created a series of fifteen images (at time of publication) showing solidarity between people, which she has made available for use in projects supporting Ukraine.

6. Gary Baseman

Gary Baseman (@garybaseman) is an artist and Domestika teacher. His parents’ hometowns are now part of Ukraine, and he has shared various photos from his trips there as well as artwork like this, incorporating the sunflower—which he links to loyalty, as sunflowers always follow the sun.

7. Albina Kolesnichenko

A Ukrainian illustrator, Albina Kolesnichenko has been sharing her thoughts on her country’s resilience. In this post, she encouraged followers to “be stronger than panic, no matter how difficult it may seem”.

8. Emma Hanquist

War can magnify inequalities, and women and children make up the majority of refugees during and after wars. Swedish illustrator Emma Hanquist (@emmahan) shared this image on International Women’s Day.

9. Kleverson Mariano

Kleverson Mariano (@kleversonmariano) is a Brazilian illustrator and Domestika teacher. On his Instagram he contributed to the peace dove illustration movement with this artwork, adding the caption “Stop War!”

10. Bogdana Davydiuk

Bogdana Davydiuk is based in Lviv, Ukraine, and has documented the views around train stations, hospitals, and daily life during this frightening time. In this image she shows a train station where women have gathered with their children to try and stay safe, forming a “carpet” of motherhood and protection.

11. Claudia Rueda

Claudia Rueda (@clau) is a Colombian picture book author and Domestika teacher. She has commented on the injustice of children being caught up in the conflicts of adults, and shared this on International Women’s Day.

12. Anna Ivanenko

Anna Ivanenko has been bravely drawing from the bomb shelter where she has been staying in Ukraine. “People are supporting each other and trying to stay calm”, she says in one daily sketch post.

13. Nina Pace

Nina Pace is an American illustrator who has participated in #WeWantPeaceWeek with this floral design. The prompts have included the colors blue and yellow, as well as imagery like birds and flowers, and concepts like hope and unity.

14. Oksana Drachkovska

Oksana Drachkovska has been sharing her feelings as a Ukrainian, from anger to thankfulness at her community’s support. She recently offered digital downloads of her prints with the proceeds going to volunteers on the ground.

15. Masha Foya

Finally, Masha Foya is a Kyiv-based illustrator who has shared enduring messages both of hope and despair with her beautiful artwork. With this post she commented, “My country, with wide golden fields and blue bright skies. Love you and believe in you!”

Art can help us to process unthinkable feelings and experiences. It empowers us to raise awareness of issues in an emotional way that others can relate to. And above all, it shows how a community can come together and inspire one another to keep hoping even in the face of tragedy.

As part of our support for humanitarian initiatives, we’ll be sharing resources on the Domestika website and across our social media channels to raise funds for charities such as Save the Children, and dedicating content to the initiatives led by creatives.

We would love to know if you have created artwork to support Ukraine or the call for peace. You can share your artwork below by creating a new project in your Domestika profile and sharing the link in the comments below.

You may also like:

- Why is the Peace Symbol Three Lines and a Circle?
- Adrian Brandon on Creating Art that Starts a Conversation