“I just want to do my art, take my son to school, walk in the park in the evenings with my family,” the photographer Artem Humilevskyi shared on Twitter on March 1st, 2022. “I want to travel, meet new people, and live a simple free life. I am Ukrainian who loves his land and his people.”

On March 4th, he drove around town, buying food for local families. By the 10th, the artist and his family had left Mykolayiv and arrived in a safe zone. He returned to the city to bring fourteen women and children safely out of the shelling zone. Since then, Humilevskyi’s photographs have served as a beacon of hope for the people of Ukraine and beyond.

Now, he’s one of fifty-seven participating photographers featured in Imag3Aid, an NFT fundraiser for Ukraine. Minting opens on Monday, April 11th, with each image available for .05 ETH, in editions of fifty. 100% of primary sales, plus secondary royalties, will go donated directly to the Ukraine Emergency Response Fund, with on-chain donations made through The Giving Block. The Ukraine Emergency Response Fund supports about two dozen charities giving direct relief, including those providing humanitarian aid and emergency medical care to individuals, families, children, and animals.

Participating photographers in Imag3Aid include Alec Soth, Alex Bartsch, Alejandro Cartagena, Alessandra Sanguinetti, Artem Humilevskyi, Barbara Davidson, Barry Stone, Barry Sutton, Caleb Jagger, Carlo Van de Roer, Caroline Gutman, Chadwick Tyler, Corey Hendrickson, Craig Reilly, Cristina De Middel, Cristina Velasquez, David Brandon Geeting, David Guttenfelder, Djeneba Aduayom, Eric Pierre Hairabedian, Fernando Gallegos, Frank Frances, Gregory Eddi Jones, Gregory Halpern, Hannah Whitaker, Henrik Spranz, Israel Riqueros, Jeremy Cowart, Johan Lolos, Jon Lowenstein, Joshua K. Jackson, Kris Graves, Lorenzo Meloni, Maciej Miliszkiewicz, Marilyn Hue, Marshall Scheuttle, Mehdi Benembarek, Mercedes Jelinek, Michelle Viljoen, Mickey Smith, Misha de Ridder, Nadine Bauer, Natalie Sosa, Niall O’Brien, Nydia Blas, Omar Z Robles, Penelope Umbrico, Priscillia Grubo, Rachel Wood, Richard Pilnick, Robert LeBlanc, Sergey Melnitchenko, Simon Roberts, Summer Wagner, Taimaz Ashtari, Wim Van Cappellen, and Yael Malka. Together, they span continents.

Artem Humilevskyi was born in Mykolayiv and has lived there his whole life. He studied under Sergey Melnitchenko at the city’s School of Conceptual Art and Photography. Both artists are represented in Imag3Aid, and they remain friends. After the invasion, Melnitchenko and his family drove 36 hours to safety, but he couldn’t sleep, knowing what was happening in Mykolaiv. The city has experienced continued shelling for weeks now, with recent strikes hitting residential buildings, schools, an orphanage, and a hospital.

Melnitchenko’s photograph–the one available as part of Imag3Aid–captures twilight in Kyiv, the yellow street lamps bright against a violet sky. In the nearby buildings, windows are illuminated like stars. “Now in Ukraine, we don’t say ‘good night,'” the artist shared on Twitter on March 7th. “We say, ‘silent night.'” So far, he’s personally donated more than $14,000 in support of Ukraine, with help from his NFT sales.

To stay up to date on Imag3Aid, be sure to follow along on Twitter and Discord. Visit the official website for the fundraiser here, and don’t miss your chance to be part of the randomized mint on Monday.

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