Icons on Ammo Boxes is an artistic response to mortality, expressed through the painting of religious symbols over actual ammunition crates that were taken from the Ukrainian front lines. According to the artists, the religious figures serve as a means of illustrating reality that is otherwise veiled. Their icons serve as continual reminders of the terrible consequences of contemporary warfare, as well as the ongoing conflict that directly affects hundreds of thousands of people and displaces millions.

Olena Chaplytska, a Ukraine national residing in Malta, stated in an interview that she had met one of the project’s artists in Kiev and felt that she could assist the work get wider exposure; “I know I’m not going to the front lines, but this I can do.” She was struck by the work’s symbolism and believes that it may give other Ukrainians hope during difficult times.

All proceeds earned by the exhibition, which has opened in 18 additional countries, are donated to Wings of Victory, a Ukrainian nonprofit that helps treat war victims medically and keeps mobile hospitals in Ukrainian cities and on the front lines. The initiative, which began in 2014, has collected more than $600,000 for nonprofit organisations that offer veterans and civilians in Ukraine access to healthcare.