Watch this incredible video of 24 year old Kseniya Simonova and you will begin to see the emotional depth and intensity that so many women from the FSU have when it comes to the arts.
Her work is an excellent illustration of the suffering and fortitude that so often comes hand in hand with the history and culture of these women.
Once again I’m very happy to see someone with her stunning combination of beauty and talent getting some much deserved international recognition.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=518XP8prwZo&feature=player_embedded#t=513]
Sand artist Kseniya Simonova, winner of Ukraine’s Got Talent, becomes internet hit
Sand artist, Kseniya Simonova, who moved audiences to tears as she won Ukraine’s Got Talent, has become an online sensation with more than two million hits.
By Ian Johnston - 19 Sep 2009
Miss Simonova, 24, drew a series of pictures on an illuminated sand table showing how ordinary people were affected by the German invasion during World War II.
One video clip of her work on the television talent show has been viewed by two million users alone.
The images, projected onto a large screen, moved many in the audience to tears and she won the top prize of about £75,000.
She begins by creating a scene showing a couple sitting holding hands on a bench under a starry sky, but then warplanes appear and the happy scene is obliterated.
It is replaced by a woman’s face crying, but then a baby arrives and the woman smiles again. Once again war returns and Miss Simonova throws the sand into chaos from which a young woman’s face appears.
She quickly becomes an old widow, her face wrinkled and sad, before the image turns into a monument to an Unknown Soldier.
This outdoor scene becomes framed by a window as if the viewer is looking out on the monument from within a house.
In the final scene, a mother and child appear inside and a man standing outside, with his hands pressed against the glass, saying goodbye.
The Great Patriotic War, as it is called in Ukraine, resulted in one in four of the population being killed with eight to 11 million deaths out of a population of 42 million.
(you can see the original article here)
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Though Kseniya may only wish to express her feelings, and the horror of The Great Patriotic War through her remarkable drawings, gestures and expressions, I almost wish I could read her mind as well. Judging from her performance though, I imagine she poured it all out right then, and right there.
After watching Kseniya, I took a moment to recall my late Aunt Jeanie, a student and patron of the arts, who visited the USSR during the height of communism. She came home wide-eyed with stories about the rich cultural heritage of that region, and the passionate artists she was able to see. The Soviet Union was such a mysterious place then. We were only allowed glimpses of an enduring population, and an arts scene second to none.
Thanks, GL, for another great post.
I’ve seen Mrs. Simonova’s performance, and I have to say she’s an amazing artist. I’ve never even heard of sand animation until I came across Kseniya Simonova on You Tube. There wasn’t a dry eye in the audience, even among those too young to have suffered through WW-II directly. Her sand animation really was a crash course on WW-II and the horrors it visited upon my father’s and his parent’s native lands. She most definitely deserved the prize she won.
Taras
I looked her up, and saw some of her other videos. She’s definitely got talent…
I watched a few more videos of Mrs. Simonova and I’ve even more impressed with her. What she does is a lot like a vivid dream we all have written in sand. Moreover, she is not only an amazing artist, she puts many a fashion model over here to shame too. It if a foregone conclusion that had she been born over here with that kind of artistic ability, we won’t be seeing her on American TV.
Taras
amazing talent and stunning beauty – and most importantly,only a person of compassion, imagination and substance can create something like this. bravo.
totally amazing she must be seen somewhere where we could hear about her and how all could learn from her talent. If you ask me i want to learn this sand animation myself. it is so amazing.
Loved it!!! Would love to learn how to do it too.
I saw it before! I was absolutely impressed!! She is awesome!!
I would like to share with this song here:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SX-38HviqQ&hl=en&fs=1&]
I found it recently looking for a good lullaby in Russian. I could not find anything that would touch my feelings.
But this girl is amazing. I can feel that she is singing this song for a child from the bottom of her heart!
It is a rarity. I have never seen in my life a woman seeing a lullaby like her!
Beautiful. I like her finger picking style, too.
My wife is one of those classic young Ukrainian beauties who does her country proud. I am therefore exposed to a lot of Ukrainian culture, music, dance…. etc.
I have spent a couple of months in their country. While Ukraine has its problems, I can very definitely understand why she misses her country and culture so very much.
The most horrible war in the human history,the greatest destruction in the human history.
Maybe even with the huns and mongols.
70.000 cities of FSU were destroyed.Can you think in 70.000 cities??…..
14 millions of civilians died.
In western,the nazi plan for Ukraine is almost unknown..Nazis wanted to eliminte 30 millions of people and make slaves the rests,using the starvation as tool,in the worst bolshevik style.
Kseniya Simonova has a truly artist soul,touching work,more than awesome and emotive art.10 stars!
Hmmmnnn . . . where are all the American women denouncing her as a gold digging green card wanting and talentless uneducated man slave?
Along with being extremely moving, she bought a tear to my eyes too, this lady has an amazing talent, I hope she goes along way, the world deserves to see her talents, I am lost for words, she is amazing!!!