Ukraine

Outraged by Putin's audacity and disregard for not only human life, but for the devastating impact upon millions of people, Jan Ubels did what he does best - create. At the time of starting this series of laser cut etchings, the equivalent to the entire population of New Zealand had been displaced in the Ukraine (this is many more millions now).

This art work series is inspired by the pictures across the media, particularly of the elderly, women and children walking in devastation with their only worldly possessions. On purpose, Jan wanted these not to be specific or identifiable individuals. Instead he wanted us to consider that this could be any of us.

As the war progressed, so has Jan's making. By starting out with fragments of broken wood as the canvas, Jan has tried to capture the distressed nature of the situation. Over time, Jan would start to layer the images, creating intricate backgrounds, and adding barriers and fences in the foreground.

What started as a mechanism to communicate his outrage, in typical "Jan style", this has turned into an act of generosity. Jan has gifted the entire series to his colleague at Ormiston Junior College. Oksana is Ukrainian and the aim is to auction the series off to raise money for the Ukrainian people.