This is not what one typically think they’ll see when watching on of the televised talent shows nor is what we think of when we think of finger painting. This performance artist quietly brings many in the audience to tears as she truly blends art with performance. She finger paints with sand. And trust me, unless you’ve seen her videos before, you’ve not seen anything quite like this.
Kseniya Simonova was the winner of Ukraine’s Got Talent back in August. Her art, created live on stage, turns grains of sand into a moving storyboard of Ukrainian history during World War II when Germany conquered the Ukraine. Using a large light box and sand, Simonova brings many in the audience to tears with her moving depiction of life during some of the darkest days of European history.
Do watch the video and the second one as well. Be prepared to be mesmerized and be prepared to shed a few tears as this beautiful young woman and her artwork will astound you. And, in case you’re not fluent, the parting words she draws translates to -“you are always near”.
Perhaps she should have said, “We will never forget” as sadly so many in the world have either forgotten or simply refuse to acknowledge the horrors of that war.