Work on Ukraine — John Cloake

I am delighted to be taking part in the “Love Peace Ukraine” exhibition 5-20 September 2023. Putin’s savage and pointless invasion inspired me to make work about Ukraine’s extraordinary resistance. In 2022, I was moved by the civilian volunteers rushing to arm themselves. But I expected the invasion to succeed and be followed by a guerrilla war of resistance. So my next design was inspired by the resistance movements in WWII supported by SOE. The design shows a rolling sequence of morse code “V”s like a message of hope transmitting to occupied Ukraine. But amazingly, the Ukrainian people not only held but are reclaiming captured territory. so my subsequent work depicts aspects of a what is now a full-scale war. I have not yet visited Ukraine so I acknowledge a debt to photographers on the ground for the images that have served as my reference.

"Ukrainian Civilian Volunteers, 2020" (Yellow and Blue version)

"Ukraine 2020: Civilian Volunteers" (Blue edition)

"The General"

"Mariupol Defender"

"Ukrainian Civilian Volunteers, 2020" (Yellow and Blue version)Linocut and watercolour

"Ukraine 2020: Civilian Volunteers" (Blue edition)Linocut limited edition

"The General"Wood engraving watercolour collage and burningThe image is a portrait of General Oleksandr Syrskyi

"Mariupol Defender"Wood engraving

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