Anti-war art objects created from cartridge cases, made by ukrainian-american artist as an answer to biggest military conflict in Europe since WWII – war in Ukraine. Unique of its kind mosaics/installations, which depicts the face of a cynical political tyranny.
The first objects in the history of art made in such a technique and style and defining a philosophical conceptual borderline between western democratic world and eastern dictate world.
About Artist
Daniel D Green is a Ukraine-born painter, sculptor, and installation artist. He is a graduate of the Kyiv State Secondary Art School of Painting, and a member of the Professional Union of Artists of Ukraine. He has participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions in Ukraine and abroad. His artworks such as “The Face of War” and “Five Elements of War” are recognisable and known all around the world.
Five Elements of War
“Five Elements of War” is an art project of five extraordinary installations by Daniel D Green and Daria Marchenko, two contemporary artists from Ukraine, who expressed their opposition of the barbaric military aggression of Russia.
The installations are multisensory and is meant to elicit a visceral reaction in the viewer. Each of the five works speaks to a different aspect of the war. The five works displayed are Heart of War, Flesh of War, Honor, Brain of War, which underscores the role of propaganda, and Face of War, which depicts the prominent and familiar figure responsible for the conflict.
The artists follow the rich history of protest art and create emotionally charged works about the causes, turmoil and the consequences of war. In order to bridge the divide between the viewer and the reality of the invasion, the artists incorporate bullets, shell casings, documents and shrapnel from the frontlines of war-torn eastern Ukraine.
Gallery
The Face of War
The painting – «The Face of War» was created by in response to the events of 2014 in Ukraine, when Russia showed aggression and attacked the eastern part of the country, thus creating the largest military conflict in Europe since the Second World War endangering world security.
The installation in total consists of approximately 5,000 cartridge cases of different calibres for different types of weapons used on the firing line. Each element that the portrait is composed of could have taken or have saved a soldier’s life, one way or another to be his fate.The exhibit requires spotlights.
The cartridge cases, scattered on the floor, in the amount of 5,000 units are attached to the painting). Thereby, on the canvas you can see the mystery, full of war energy, consisting of its primary elements: the gunpowder, lead, steel, bronze, brass, copper and zinc, in an amazing combination with the oils and acrylic colours.The painting encourages everyone who takes up arms to think about the role of the bloody political ambitions in the history of civilization, and that nothing is more precious than human life.
The Face of Corruption
Daniel D Green and Daria Marchenko have created an unflattering portrait of incumbent Petro Poroshenko. Titled ‘Face of Corruption’, the collage made of sweet wrappers and bullet casings is full of hidden meanings.
Candy wrappers symbolize empty promises made to Ukrainians since Poroshenko came to power following the ousting of pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovich. Ukrainian people could be compared to a child craving democracy. This child was shown a candy in the form of democracy, in the form of a new future, of something bright, non-totalitarian and honest. And in the end, the child was given nothing. We cannot not see candies, we can see empty wrappers, just wrappers.
The portrait’s background is made of bullet casings collected from Ukraine’s volatile east and are arranged in a pattern to resemble chocolate bars, in a nod to Poroshenko’s background in the confectionery business and his nickname “the Chocolate King”.
Close-up, the chocolate bars also resemble military zinc coffins which symbolize the lost souls of Ukrainians.
Behold the truth.
Stay for freedom.
Stay for democracy.