LOS ANGELES: One month into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, street artists in Southern California are taking up their brushes and spray paint to oppose the war.
Los Angeles artist Corie Mattie was motivated when bombs started dropping in Ukraine. She collaborated with tattoo artist Juliano Trindade to depict the head of Russian President Vladimir Putin being carried away by doves.
“It’s kind of like a resistance,” Mattie said this week. “But you’re using art to potentially change people’s perspectives.”
In nearby Santa Monica, the street artist known as 1GoodHombre decided to shed years of anonymity in solidarity with Ukraine war refugees. Todd Goodman said he knew the risks of arrest or fines for his sometimes-illegal street stencils. But those consequences were outweighed by the help he hoped to offer.
“I’ve decided to step out in support of the Ukrainian people,” said Goodman, whose wall stencils depict Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky holding submachine guns.
Goodman was motivated in part by his Jewish ancestors, who immigrated to the United States in the 1800s from the Ukrainian region.
“My message is generally one of positive love and peace,” said Goodman. “Although this piece might appear to be quite violent, it is one that is speaking to the gut feelings of many people today.”
Both artists are using social media to solicit donations, with proceeds going toward Ukrainian war relief efforts, they said.
“I always say good art makes you think, but great art makes you do,” said Mattie. “So if my art or someone else’s art can make you stop and have a conversation about something or even stop and hit the QR code to donate, then we’re making an impact for the better.”
Spray-painting for Ukraine: Street artists show support
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Spray-painting for Ukraine: Street artists show support
- Los Angeles artist Corie Mattie was motivated when bombs started dropping in Ukraine
- “It’s kind of like a resistance,” Mattie said this week. “But you’re using art to potentially change people’s perspectives”
Cambodia takes back looted historic artifacts handled by British art dealer
- The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodian officials on Friday received more than six dozen historic artifacts described as part of the country’s cultural heritage that had been looted during decades of war and instability.
At a ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister Hun Many, the 74 items were unveiled at the National Museum in Phnom Penh after their repatriation from the United Kingdom.
The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia.
“This substantial restitution represents one of the most important returns of Khmer cultural heritage in recent years, following major repatriations in 2021 and 2023 from the same collection,” the Culture Ministry said in a statement. “It marks a significant step forward in Cambodia’s continued efforts to recover, preserve, and restore its ancestral legacy for future generations.”
The artifacts were described as dating from the pre-Angkorian period through the height of the Angkor Empire, including “monumental sandstone sculptures, refined bronze works, and significant ritual objects.” The Angkor Empire, which extended from the ninth to the 15th century, is best known for the Angkor Wat archaeological site, the nation’s biggest tourist attraction.
Latchford was a prominent antiquities dealer who allegedly orchestrated an operation to sell looted Cambodian sculptures on the international market.
From 1970 to the 1980s, during Cambodia’s civil wars and the communist Khmer Rouge ‘s brutal reign, organized looting networks sent artifacts to Latchford, who then sold them to Western collectors, dealers, and institutions. These pieces were often physically damaged, having been pried off temple walls or other structures by the looters.
Latchford was indicted in a New York federal court in 2019 on charges including wire fraud and conspiracy. He died in 2020, aged 88, before he could be extradited to face charges.
Cambodia, like neighboring Thailand, has benefited from a trend in recent decades involving the repatriation of art and archaeological treasures. These include ancient Asian artworks as well as pieces lost or stolen during turmoil in places such as Syria, Iraq and Nazi-occupied Europe. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the prominent institutions that has been returning illegally smuggled art, including to Cambodia.
“The ancient artifacts created and preserved by our ancestors are now being returned to Cambodia, bringing warmth and joy, following the country’s return to peace,” said Hun Many, who is the younger brother of Prime Minister Hun Manet.
