Art community rallies for Ukraine via auction at Forest and Ocean Gallery

Ukrainian flags dangle outdoors the front entrance to the Forest and Ocean Gallery, catching the eye of passersby as they walk by way of downtown Laguna Seashore.

It has been a thirty day period because the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but for Ludo Leideritz, the operator of the gallery, it took far considerably less time to do what he felt was ideal to handle the humanitarian disaster.

Leideritz put up some of his own is effective and termed on other artists he knew to post pieces to be marketed. Proceeds from the art auction will go to the Intercontinental Red Cross to benefit the Ukraine refugee fund.

The destruction and displacement in Ukraine is a “humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions,” mentioned Leideritz, who known as the activities an assault on innocents.

Gallery proprietor Ludo Leideritz upcoming to a wall adorned with the art of Helena Dias Sardenberg at the Forest and Ocean Gallery in Laguna Beach, which is extending its silent art auction by means of the weekend to advantage the people today of Ukraine.

(Don Leach / Team Photographer)

“The escalation stage of the way matters are going there, where by as a substitute of possessing armed service targets bombed, you’re bombing almost nothing but civilian targets — and benign civilian targets like hospitals, church buildings, bomb shelters wherever people are seeking to conceal from all of this, and they simply cannot depart — it is genuinely the country’s besieged,” Leideritz stated.

“There’s no quick way out of any of this, but the only issue we can do is to mail as much guidance as we can above there,” he extra. “The International Crimson Cross, I uncovered to be most likely a person of the improved ways to conduit income to assistance with the refugee predicament. The refugee crisis really is my most important thrust. It is not navy. It’s not political. It’s humanitarian — purely humanitarian.”

The auction experienced been planned three weeks ago, and though it began past weekend, Leideritz explained Thursday that he still experienced artwork coming in this 7 days. Artists from all more than Southern California, as well as some from across the place, have merged to donate well above 100 pieces — like drawings, paintings, photos and sculptures — for the gallery’s exclusive function.

A chessboard built of modest replica bottles of Ukrainian beer in the type of Molotov cocktail bombs, by Jessica De Stefano, is portion of the Forest and Ocean Gallery silent artwork auction in Laguna Beach front.

(Don Leach / Workers Photographer)

“The assist that I have acquired from these artists has been incredibly, extremely, very heartwarming,” explained Leideritz, himself a photographer. “This is wherever artwork can enable to recover the world. That is my mantra. … Art heals bodies, and artwork heals spirits.”

Works that Leideritz has place up for auction involve illustrations or photos from journeys to the Alabama Hills, Loss of life Valley and Yosemite.

Leideritz stated the auction will continue on until each piece donated has gained a bid. Until finally that time, there will be no word on how considerably is anticipated to be elevated during this party, he stated.

Gallery operator Ludo Leideritz following to a photographic piece by Ron Azevedo at the Forest and Ocean Gallery in Laguna Seashore, which is extending its silent art auction via the weekend to gain the individuals of Ukraine.

(Don Leach / Team Photographer)

Those who repeated Laguna Beach’s art festivals will recognize some familiar names behind the items up for auction, including longtime Festival of Arts exhibitor Robert Hansen, who has provided 4 platinum palladium pictures.

“I like aged practice graveyards, and it is a distinct graveyard down on the Mexico border called Campo,” claimed Hansen, who included he made a decision to donate 100{99d7ae7a5c00217be62b3db137681dcc1ccd464bfc98e9018458a9e2362afbc0} of the proceeds from his will work to the trigger. “I went down there and did a large amount of abstractions. This is all previous railroad equipment that is sort of been junked out. They do a small little bit of restoration, but I uncover that sort of stuff really fascinating.”

Ron Azevedo, who has been exhibiting at the Competition of Arts for the earlier decade, mentioned most of the performs he demonstrates there come from his trips to Chernobyl. He explained he traveled to Ukraine in 2012, 2013 and 2017.

Gallery owner Ludo Leideritz exhibits a chessboard built of modest replica bottles of Ukrainian beer in the form of Molotov cocktail bombs.

(Don Leach / Personnel Photographer)

“Strangely adequate, I have never truly confirmed people the pictures of a good deal of the operate that I have taken in Ukraine,” Azevedo stated. “Mostly, Chernobyl is what I focus on and what I show, so I have received a complete backlog, and I’m actually planning to target my full summer time show at the Festival of Arts on the natural beauty of Ukraine — showing some of the photos of what daily life is like, what this position appears like, other than the war-torn parts.”

A Ukrainian flag hanging in front of the gallery is reflected in a photograph from the Chernobyl exclusion zone in Ukraine.

(Don Leach / Staff members Photographer)

“Some persons are telling me, on my pics and stuff, ‘Hey, this may possibly be the only memories you are likely to have of some of these areas you captured’ because of just the destruction and how almost everything is just becoming destroyed,” Azevedo claimed. “Is it going to come about? Is it not? I used each and every working day observing so considerably news that it is numbing that this can not be stopped, and just ready for a thing to happen that is likely to alter the study course of functions ahead of it just keeps having worse and worse and worse.”

Azevedo also expressed appreciation to the art group for stepping up in a vital instant.

“I’m so grateful to everyone that is achieving out,” Azevedo stated. “They see what’s likely on and how poor it is. … I want to get on a airplane and go out there, but there is not a total whole lot I can do from in this article, other than to help and guidance these organizations that are accomplishing the fantastic there, that are bringing the health-related demands and foodstuff and supplies in to the refugees.”

To spot a bid on-line, check out 32auctions.com/UkraineRefugeeRelief. For far more facts, e mail Leideritz at ludo@forestoceangallery.com or contact (949) 371-3313.

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