“Courage that is worth being portrayed”

Young artist Rado Javor is famous among lovers of unconventional painting. The style of his works is called magical realism. He creates his works using only Photoshop. Javor studies histories of various wars, both modern and ancient ones, and recreates famous battle scenes and fights in his works. He portrays military conflicts that took place in remote or close past, or can appear in the future.

Javor arrived to Kyiv this winter for personal reasons. Having read our news and met several volunteers, the artist realized that the artworks of the war in Donbas will become a valuable addition to his collection. “I like trying out various plots. I often address well-known or less known historical motives. In this particular case I felt that Ukraine needs help from people in Europe. Ordinary Europeans must support Ukrainians morally and understand that the fate of the whole continent depends on the outcome of the war in Donbas. We should have had demonstrations and marches in your support. And NATO countries should have provided anti-missile defense systems to Ukraine. I personally was deeply impressed by the events that are taking place in your country, and I decided to remind the world once more that the Donbas issue requires attention. This war shows the courage of Ukrainian soldiers, civilians, and volunteers. And in my view, courage is something worth being portrayed.”

Another reason for Rado’s interest in the Donbas conflict is Russia’s involvement in it. “The war with Russia has been a threat for Europe for several decades. As a person from the former Czechoslovak Republic, I understand your problem. I know what the Russian government has done to my country, we are still recovering from our dark years. Of course, some elderly citizens still feel nostalgic about the communist times and are somewhat confused about the current developments. But the majority of Slovaks, especially the educated and young ones, support Ukraine. Of course, Russian propaganda is being extensively spread in Europe. There is no doubt that some journalists and even politicians have been bribed by Russian intelligence agencies. These people are trying to obscure the issue and convince the rest that the war in Donbas is no one’s fault. It would be great if your government provided more explanations and comments on military actions. We are neighbors, so we have to interact more closely.”

The artist is convinced that the goal of the Russian government is to push Ukraine off the path towards Europe. The artist did not succeed in getting to the ATO zone himself, so he drew inspiration from journalists’ photographs mostly, and also used his imagination. However, Javor did not abandon his plans to visit Donbas. “I hope I will be able to go to the east of your country when the situation becomes more stable and Ukraine is united again.”

So far, Javor has created three Donbas-themed artworks. Two of them describe the war in cities, and the third and the most famous one shows “cyborgs” at the Donetsk Airport during Christmas holidays. These works became viral in social networks and online periodicals. Ukrainian volunteers may also become characters of Javor’s future works. The artist is considering the idea just now.