DepartmentEurope
Соняхи зі сходу (Sunflowers from the East)
NamePainting on artillery shell casing
Artist
Vladyslav Pikun
CultureUkrainian
Date2024
Place madeLviv, Ukraine, Europe
Medium80 mm artillery shell casing, acrylic paint
Dimensions13 3/4 × 3 3/4 × 3 3/4 in. (34.9251 × 9.525 × 9.525 cm)
Credit LineMuseum of International Folk Art, Gift of Khrystyna Valko, IFAF Collection, FA.2025.11.1
Object numberFA.2025.11.1
DescriptionVladyslav Pikun, age 20 - “Sunflowers from the East reminds us of our homeland, prevents us from breaking down, and helps us move forward,” shares Pikun.Khrystyna Valko is a teacher, artist, and art therapist committed to helping civilians process their war trauma. Several of her students have special needs and many have lost their homes, parents, or other family members when their towns in Eastern Ukraine were destroyed by Russian bombardment. Some of the painted objects shown here came from ammunition that was part of a US aid package for Ukraine. “They’re coming back home after a long journey, imbued with newfound meaning,” Valko shares.
