Global art has entered a new phase. In an era of climate change, wars, and global instability, a movement has emerged unlike anything in the history of art. It doesn’t imitate, negate, or copy the past — it opens a new horizon. This movement is called “Art through the Awareness.” Its essence lies not in style or form — but in action.
It began in Düsseldorf. A group of artists from Germany, Poland, and Belgium, led by Ukrainian artist Volodymyr Koziuk, created a painting in support of Ukraine. But the act transcended solidarity. It became the birthplace of a new aesthetic philosophy — a philosophy of art that does not simply depict, but intervenes in reality. Art that saves.
This art has no center or periphery. There is no “I,” only “we.” Today, the movement has united over 1300 artists from 130 countries. From Tokyo to Lisbon, from Tbilisi to Buenos Aires, people are joining forces to save civilization. Supported by hundreds of painters, musicians, athletes, politicians, children, and philosophers — they are creating a shared symphony of kindness, hope, and truth.
It is a new artistic synergy, where every brushstroke is a testimony. Every line — a voice. This is how landmark projects were born: “Flowers of Memory in the Depths of the Black Square,” “Ukraine Through the Ages,” “A Prayer for Ukraine,” “My House is Not on the Edge.” These are not just exhibitions — they are cultural manifestos.
A special place belongs to the children. More than a hundred refugee children participated in the project “My House is Not on the Edge.” They painted not just pictures — but trees, stones, and the earth itself. Their hands, painted in blue and yellow, left imprints on canvases that have become part of parliamentary sessions, international forums, and exhibitions in London, the Vatican, and Strasbourg. This is the art of a generation growing up to the sound of explosions, yet still dreaming.
Art through the Awareness is a response to pain and silence. It is a platform for a new humanism. Here, meaning outweighs technique. Truth matters more than form. A child’s drawing may be stronger than academic realism — because in it, there is life.
This is a movement that redefines the role of the artist. The artist is no longer a creator for galleries, not merely an observer. He is a participant in history. A witness. A doer. Sometimes — a savior. Like the painting sold at Christie’s to save a life. Like the artwork gifted to the Pope — where color became a diplomatic language.
The story of this movement is a story of action. Action in response to crisis. Unity in an age of fragmentation. A powerful wave where artists no longer wait — they act. Where politicians become collectors not of art, but of meaning. Where global icons say “I am with you,” and their names become part of a new era’s canvas.
Perhaps, for the first time in art history, artworks are not looking for museums — the world is looking for these artworks. Because they are not exhibits. They are witnesses.
Today, we stand at the threshold of an aesthetic revolution. “Art through the Awareness” is not a style or a method. It is a path. A new world in art, born as an answer to new challenges. And that is where its unprecedented power lies.
My friend Volodymyr Koziuk made this happen. In the art world, we haven’t seen such a seismic shift in perception for a long period of time. Volodymyr Koziuk has created a movement where anyone can remain true to their voice, their medium, their path — and yet be part of a universal “we.”
Today, together with Baroness Giselda Salbu, Koziuk has, in essence, reset the trajectory of contemporary art. In an instant, everything became no longer “new,” no longer “contemporary.” Even digital — it was yesterday. Even AI — no longer a challenge. Because the true artistic form of today is “Art through the Awareness”: a form entirely filled with meaning.
Mykola Zinchenko
Art critic, member of the National Artists Union of Ukraine
