The world is not indifferent to the heroic people of Ukraine, who have been resisting ussia's full-scale military aggression for two years in a row. Another proof of this is the work of the French conceptual artist Jean Pierre Raynaud, which was presented on February 23, 2024 at the Council of Europe.

The opening of the exhibition was attended by Secretary General of the Council of Europe M. Pejčinović-Burić, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe T. Rouxopoulos, Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein to the Council of Europe Ambassador D. Wanger (on behalf of the Chair of the Committee of Ministers) and Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the Council of Europe Ambassador B. Tarasyuk.

During the speeches, the participants expressed their gratitude to the famous French artist Jean Pierre Raynaud for creating the work that will be donated to Ukraine to support its struggle for national independence and sovereignty.

The presented painting "Guernica-Ukraine" is an interpretation of Pablo Picasso's "Guernica" in an identical size - 7.50 by 3.50 meters.

Picasso donated "Guernica" to Spain in 1937. It appeared in Spain only after the death of dictator Francisco Franco. "Guernica" by Picasso is the most symbolic work of art of the twentieth century. It exposes the folly, horrors and cruelty of war.

It is in this vein that the Art Gallery of the Paris Sorbonne and the French literary art book publisher Editions Jannink asked Jean Pierre Raynaud to create a work in support of and in solidarity with Ukraine in its struggle for peace.

The initiative for this event came after Volodymyr Zelenskyy's speech at the Venice Biennale on April 22, 2022. He made a speech to artists around the world to support Ukraine.

The exhibition "Guernica-Ukraine" features two works: a reproduction of "Guernica" and the original work "Ukraine", which represents three large "STOP" signs as a symbol of the obstacles to freedom and peace that war, violence, and barbarism bring with them. Today, this painting is an instrument of offensive and defensive warfare against the enemy for Ukraine.

The symbolism of this sign is universal because the whole world knows it. The artist uses the road sign as a call to stop the war, just as reactively as we stop our progress on the road. Indeed, Jean Pierre Raynaud is a rather radical artist, but from the moment a work becomes radical, it captures us, it broadcasts our fears, it is able to stir our feelings.

In this difficult time for Ukraine, we must use all available resources, including creativity and artistic expressions, to draw the attention of the international community to russia's military aggression in Ukraine in the 21st century. It is important for us to show that no one is immune to these events and that preserving peace is a common, big goal. Art can reflect our compassion, anger and demand for justice, creating a powerful impact and drawing attention to our common cause for peace and dignity.