Lithuanian Cities Become Open Gallery with Creatives For Ukraine

On The Table Read ebook Magazine UK, more than 300 billboards scattered across 6 Lithuanian cities express solidarity with Ukraine by exhibiting digital illustrations from an open art platform called Creatives for Ukraine.

Creatives For Ukraine

An open platform Creatives for Ukraine was launched just a month ago, with a call for designers and other creatives to submit their artworks in order to illustrate the war in Ukraine  through artists’ eyes.

During the first month, over one thousand digital artworks from all over the world have been submitted with a bunch of them gaining a physical form by being displayed outdoors in a form of billboards  across six  largest Lithuanian cities.

When the idea to create a “home” for all of the artworks supporting Ukraine came to our minds we were very open to the outcomes it can create. Today we can see that these are much more than merely “pictures” and the platform is much more than the “gallery” — the artworks are used as tools to raise money & awareness, to illustrate horrendous war crimes, to show support and bring hope. From tiny magnets or stickers that were sold to raise money, to the huge billboards in the streets — every bit counts,” says Ignas Kozlovas, co-author of the initiative, creative director at  FOLK agency.

Digital Artworks

One of the co-authors of the platform, the co-founder of Blue Oceans PR agency Kristina Skindelytė-Gladkovienė, says the response to this initiative had been very positive from the very start. “Over 400 hundred digital artworks were submitted in the very first days of launching the platform, and the intensity of artists submitting their works remains very high. We’ve also got a very positive response from the media and influencers all over the world shining light on the impactful visuals,” says Ms. Skindelytė-Gladkovienė. Statistics show that at the moment the platform is most popular among artists from US, UK, Germany, and Lithuania itself.

Ms. Skindelytė-Gladkovienė also stresses the importance of collaboration with those who share the same values, such as one of the leading outdoor advertising companies in Lithuania, JCDecaux Lietuva“, which dedicated their street-level displays and billboards to showcase the visuals in large format across several Lithuanian cities. „JCDecaux Lietuva“ CEO Žaneta Fomova says the company is contributing to various initiatives to help Ukraine.

“The minute we heard about “Creatives for Ukraine,” we decided to offer our support, as outdoor advertising is a powerful medium with high audience reach. Outdoor advertising affects us on a daily basis, it cannot be turned off, so it serves as a reminder to everyone every day what is happening and why we need to focus and help the people of Ukraine,” said Ms. Fomova.

Refugees In Lithuania

JCDecaux Lietuva“ has already received feedback not only from the locals but also from the Ukrainian refugees in Lithuania. “Ukrainians who run from the war and arrive in Lithuania, say that such support is inspiring — and when they see the colors of Ukraine on the streets every day, they feel they’re welcome here,” Ms. Fomova stated.

“Creatives for Ukraine” platform has also inspired other creative initiatives. For example, Vaiva Rykštaitė, a Lithuanian writer living in Hawaii, used the visuals from the platform to print stickers and sell them in local Hawaiian boutiques and cafès, donating the collected amount to support Ukraine. She says “it was too hard for her to just observe the situation and do nothing,” and hopes others will take inspiration from this example.

War In Ukraine

As the war in Ukraine continues, so does the call for the artists to continue to do their best — create — and submit their works for the platform. Illustrations submitted are open for individual users and media outlets from all around the world to use for free, when they need to illustrate the war in Ukraine.

The platform does not have any commercial use but asks to credit creatives if their work is shared on another platform or outlet. The platform is initiated by volunteer creatives from Lithuania: including FOLK design agency, communications agency Blue Oceans PR, and VSBL web studio.

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