Main image: The first drawing of the new version of the world dove "HOPE", April 2022 for the "Garden of the World" Skovgaard Museum, Viborg, Denmark, by Serhiy Svyatchenko
On June 28, a new sculpture appeared in the city of Silkeborg on the Danish peninsula of Jutland, reminding the world of Ukraine. The bronze statue, standing over 2 meters tall, was created by the Danish-Ukrainian visual artist Serhiy Svyatchenko and Ukrainian sculptor Yegor Zigura. Titled "Hope," the sculpture depicts a dove in motion, symbolizing the future of a free Ukraine.
The sculpture is located in the sculpture park of the Art Center Silkeborg Bad. At the project's opening on June 28, dancers from the Royal Ballet performed a contemporary ballet named "Hope," with music composed by Kostyantyn Shymanovsky and choreography by renowned Brazilian ballet artist Alessandro Pereira. The "Hope" project will continue with installations in Silkeborg, Brussels, and Kyiv.
Alongside the sculpture project, Svyatchenko also created another artwork: a collage printed on aluminum titled "Kharkiv. Riders of Hope." In this collage, the Kharkiv-born artist interprets Picasso's famous 1937 anti-war painting "Guernica," transposing the tragedy of the Spanish town to Kharkiv, Ukraine. Svyatchenko described his monumental work:
"I worked on the idea for this piece for almost two years. I wanted to express my personal reaction to the war. 'Kharkiv. Riders of Hope' is rich in metaphors, symbols, associations, astonishment, and horror, yet it remains abstract in detail and perception as a whole, allowing for reflection, empathy, and contemplation. The tragedy is repeating in our days, not in Spain, but in the city where I was born and raised."
The realization of the sculpture was made possible with support from Almennyttige Fond Jyske Bank and Cartier. The project was coordinated by the Art Center Silkeborg Bad. The sculpture's unveiling was attended by Ukraine's Ambassador to Denmark Andrii Yanevskyi, Bishop Henrik Stubkjær, representatives from the European External Action Service in Brussels, among others.
