Conceived by international content platform Depositphotos, The Revival Project is an initiative consisting of 38 unique charitable NFTs by seven independent Ukrainian creatives. Each one depicts an interpretation of a cultural site in Ukraine in the future – from museums and cultural centres to railway stations – with the artists interweaving “their own experiences, memories and fantasies” in the process. Among the sites reconstructed, over 20 have been destroyed in the war. The Revival Project hopes to not only showcase the exceptional cultural value of these sites but to raise funds for contributing to their recovery, transferred directly to the crypto wallet of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.
A press release from Depositphotos explains that, since February 24 2022, over 450 cases of Russian war crimes have been committed against Ukraine’s cultural heritage. With “this number grow[ing] by the day”, Oleksandr Tkachenko, minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, says in the release, Ukraine’s culture and national heritage has seen almost six billion euros in damages. “That is why today, it is important to support modern initiatives and creative projects to restore Ukraine’s unique cultural heritage, involving as many interested people as possible in the process.”
Created in collaboration with Meta History museum and the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, The Revival Project sees a broad array of artistic styles converge. Artist Zhanna Enikeeva, for example, has employed postage stamp aesthetics to reimagine sites such as the House of Organ and Chamber Music in Dnipro. Meanwhile, the design studio and duo OTOG contributes shimmering visions in 3D, drawing on personal memories. Stadium Azovstal in the seaside town of Mariupol, and Regional Academic Ukrainian Music and Drama Theatre in Lugansk are among the sites OTOG has reconstructed. Animated works from Tamara Safarova show sites with people using and interacting with the locations – an NFT of Chernihiv’s Olympic Sports Training Center reveals people training on a pitch at night.