“PRESS MOSAIC”

Art. Power. Hope.

11 September 2000.

A delicate young woman - just 18 years old - surrounded by three men. Fear, but also a trace of defiance, is reflected in the girl's eyes, while the powerful men take her to a damp, cellar-like chamber. Her panicky screams fill the cellar exit, eventually giving way to other noises. There is a dull thud when she is hurled against the wall. The steel-hard skull of her tormentor bangs against her head. A strong hand reaches for her neck - she is pressed against the cold wall and choked. At this moment, her eyes darken.

A loud popping sound rattles the silence.
Gun shots ...

What sounds like a kidnapping by the Mafia is a state of intimidation. The three men are employees of the Ukrainian UBOP - a special police station created to fight organized crime. Today, this group no longer exists, which treated its victims - under law with lawlessness. Despite this violence and injustice, the young woman is not intimidated.

Natalia Ohar is not only the daughter of a formerly
successful Ukrainian entrepreneur, but also a lawyer and publicist. For 15 years, she has been conducting a tireless struggle in her homeland: against corruption and, ultimately, for human rights.

Art can tell.
Art can unmask.
Art can strengthen.
And art can move.

In this sense, Natalia Ohar, born in 1981 in the Ukraine, is working on a large-scale multimedia project. First, she tells her story through a complex collage.
This mosaic image (PRESS MOSAIC) works on several levels: it combines the past and present realities in Ukraine. Graphics and typography illustrate a story about the story through the means of art. On the one hand, they make the almost bizarre paradox visible. All integrated state institutions - the police, the judiciary, the public prosecutor's office and, above all, the courts - have the task of ensuring justice. Natalia Ohar’s story shows that, in the Ukraine, these institutions, alongside powerful financial clans, are the real criminals.

The individual elements of the motif create the complex image of a fragile young woman, fragmented into a thousand parts. The sum of these parts unfolds the power to stun the system. The artwork also shows the positive effects: successful court trials, enlightening press contributions, crowded officials and high-ranking politicians. All of this gives hope for a free, right-wing Ukraine. People should not be on their guard against their state because the state should protect its citizens.

This project tells the story of a young woman's resistance to the overpowering corrupt state - and is a sign of hope in these fleeting days of high-tech globalization. Resistance requires courage and perseverance. Just as the hope of a free, fair and strong Ukraine thrives, Natalia Ohar’s project is also growing.

www.nataliaohar.com

Art Prints are available in two limited editions.