Kharkiv zoo hosts unique charity Art Show

Kharkiv's Feldman Ecopark Zoo hosted a unique art show and auction featuring works by famous Ukrainian artists on 1 June 2022.

Numerous works were put up for auction to raise funds for the country's military, help sick children, and restore the zoo - which also functions as a community and educational centre - but have been destroyed by the Russian bombing.

At the Unconquered Art exhibition-auction, 14 paintings were sold, to buyers not only from Ukraine, but also from as far afield as Germany, the U.S., and Israel.

These included a series of female portraits by Viktor Chaus, an easel painting by the famous master of Petrykivka (a traditional decorative Ukrainian style) painting Tamara Vakulenko, as well as landscape paintings by Karl Tanpeter, Igor Stakhanov, Viktor Vikhtinsky and Oleg Lazorenko.

Labyrinth, a series of paintings by masters of applied art Maria Osadchaya and Anna Pavlyukevich-Chernetskaya, also went on sale, as did one of the most famous of modern-day impressionist Aleksandr Reznichenko's works - Sleeping Moses.

The event was held at the city's AVEC gallery, a building badly damaged by Russian shelling, and also included works about the current war as its theme was, "unconqueredness, faith in Victory and in the revival of our native land".

The zoo's animals have had to be removed due to the conflict and the city's position in the East of Ukraine - near to the frontlines.

However, they are looking to rebuild the zoo once the war is over and are looking for donations and supporters. The exhibition is continuing in an online format, where you can buy versions of your favourite works at https://feldman-ecopark.com/en/products/mojsej-shho-spit/