Buy art and design to support Ukraine: the sales and auctions happening now

Galvanised by the mounting human tragedy of the war in Ukraine, many in the creative world have felt compelled to offer help in the best way they know how: harnessing their resources and networks to raise money for humanitarian relief organisations by selling art, photography and design to those of us eager to buy it.

Among a host of compelling initiatives, here are art and design sales and auctions happening now in aid of the Ukraine relief effort, as well as projects to promote and support Ukrainian creatives.

Spend with Ukraine

Discipline: all
Ends: ongoing

Non-profit organisation Spend With Ukraine are on a mission to boost the teams behind the country’s economy, and in doing so have curated a list of over 200 businesses based in Ukraine. From Sabi’s minimalist beeswax candles, to the adventurous ceramics of Gorn, and Gunia Project’s crafts bringing together traditional and contemporary design. The organisation introduces a plethora of technology, creative and lifestyle brands in a bid to support Ukraine from the inside, and in turn empower the nation’s people.
spendwithukraine.com

Another Life: Jim Goldberg x Iryna Tsilyk

Discipline: art
Ends: ongoing

In ‘Another Life’, Jim Goldberg revisits photographs from a trip taken to Ukraine in 2005-6 and presented alongside reflections by Ukranian writer and filmmaker Iryna Tsilyk. In the limited edition broadsheet publication, Goldberg explores populations outside the mainstream, showcasing an everyday, pre-war Ukraine. All profits will go to Voices of Children, who aim to support the psychosocial rehabilitation of parents and children displaced by the war, provide targeted and humanitarian aid, advocate for children and maintain educational opportunities during the war. Included in five copies are ‘golden tickets’, which can be exchanged for an original print by Goldberg. Each publication is on sale for £16 (€19 / $20 / ₴591). 
stanleybarker.co.uk

Campaign UA / Unite All by Design Academy Eindhoven

Discipline: design
Ends: ongoing

Campaign UA / Unite All is a project by the students from Studio UnIdentified at Design Academy Eindhoven, supporting NGO United for Ukraine. The initiative comprises an NFT art video, representing a sweater design conceived in collaboration with designer Joost Jansen and his studio, Survival of the Fashionest, manufacturer Yarna, and knitting school de Amsterdamse Steek. Featuring two raised fists knitted in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, the digital sweater is worn by a model walking in a field of flowers, representing optimism, energy, colour, growth, new beginnings and beauty. The knitting pattern for the sweater will be available online, so you can knit a physical version. The designers aim for those sweaters to be sent to Ukraine.
dressx.com; opensea.io

Fast Forward print sale with Ukrainian female artists

Discipline: photography
Ends: ongoing

Fast Forward: Women in Photography, a research project based at the UK’s University for the Creative Arts and promoting women in photography worldwide, is using its platform to help Ukrainian female artists raise money for charities working on the ground in Ukraine. Fast Forward is covering the costs of printing and postage. All proceeds from the sale will go directly to smaller charities helping civilians, especially women, children and older people in Ukraine. Charities include Ukrainian Womanity (Zaporizzia), FreeUa (Kramatorsk) and Patriot (Melitopol). The minimum donation per print is £50; editions are limited and vary depending on the image. Participating artists from Ukraine are: Daria Bedernichek, Lubov Chornenka, Oksana Demianec, Adriana Dovha , Eva Dzhyshyashvili, Anneta Gluschenko, Maria Kazvan, Uliana Kocur-Skalacka, Kate Kutsevol, Daria Kuzmina, Daryna Momot, Eugenia Stanishevska, Nalina Vaine, Nadiia Volkova, Polina Zabizhko.
fastforward.photography

Bettter.Community

Discipline: mixed
Ends: ongoing

Not a sale, but an initiative intended to keep the vibrant Ukrainian creative scene alive and thriving, Bettter.Community aims to showcase the country’s top creatives, in fields ranging from design to photography, including graphic designers, stylists and artists. Through the portal, it is possible to hire creatives for full-time or commission-based positions, while Bettter.Community also works to support creatives with grants ranging from €500 to €3,000 to cover legal and relocation expenses, and by helping them find jobs. Also part of the website is a database of trusted sources, divided by country, and locations currently taking donations.
community.bettter.us

Sea Me print sale

Discipline: illustration
Ends: ongoing

Odessa-based linen brand Sea Me had to pause production of its bedding and sleepwear on 24 February 2022, as Ukraine was attacked by Russia, in order to keep its team members safe. Now to further support her team, co-founder Natalya Ishchenko is offering limited-edition art prints by Odessa artist Katerina Filimonova, featuring dreamy images of remote beaches, and portraits of people the artist has met during her travels. The artworks (each part of a signed limited edition of 25) will be shipped when the war is over, explains Ishchenko, ‘so when the War is over, you will find in your mailbox a piece of Ukraine’.
seamelinen.com