03/09/2022
This conflict is not a war between two bickering nations, but an invasion of Russia into Ukraine. War crimes and all kind of atrocities are still being committed. There is no space for embracing the aggressor. There is no space for negotiations. Russia, get out of Ukraine!
Art4Ukraine had been in contact with CTO, or Peter Seaton, some time ago, when enquiries were being made regarding murals depicting support for Ukraine at various locations across Melbourne. Peter had presented this piece to our team, who explained the insensitive nature of the image and that the message was inappropriate. We rejected his offer to create it as part of the project, yet he has progressed with the artwork himself regardless of our pleas for reason.
The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations has quoted, "What would people think if a mural featured a ra**st and a victim hugging? Wouldn't that offend any decent person’s conviction that to ask a victim to excuse their ra**st while the crime is still occurring, not been acknowledged, and not been atoned for, is wrong?” - Stefan Romaniw.
We implore Peter to reconsider his piece, remove the Ukrainian and Russian flags and merely portray an image supporting peace worldwide. This image is causing deep offence and hurt to a people who are already suffering enough.
