Ukraine's Got Talent

I found this video via EW.com and watched it on their site, without sound. I was mesmerized by this woman's work and so clicked on the video to see it on its original YouTube page. Well, thank goodness I did! What a dope I am!!! I am about as deep as a puddle, okay, so the whole 'This is a moving piece of social commentary' just blew past me. But the people crying in the audience clued me in a little... ;o) Anyway, I checked it out with sound this time and read a few of the comments underneath - much better! Obviously, one can appreciate her talent without knowing the full story behind the artwork but being a little more enlightened makes it all the more interesting! Geez, I'm dopey.

A few of the viewer comments:

For those that don't know the context - it reflects the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 and the enormous military and civilian deaths in WW2 - which were about 20-25 million. The Ukraine was laid to ruins in the fighting.

The Ukraine was devastated in WWII. It suffered through a "scorched earth policy" twice, first by Stalin's Soviet Russia and then by Hitler's Nazi Germany. According to Alexander Werth (a Russian-born, naturalized British writer, journalist, and war correspondent), "Ukraine was, to the Germans, first and foremost a source of food; secondly, of coal, iron and other minerals; and thirdly, of slave labour." After 2076 days of war, V-E Day (Victory in Europe) was celebrated on May 8, 1945.

Translations:
About 1:30 is the radio announcement of the first Nazi attack.
At the end she writes: "You are always close. 1945"
Fabulous work, amazing talent, and very touching topic.

She recounts Germany conquering Ukraine in the Second world war. She brings calm, then conflict. A couple on a bench become a womans face; a peaceful walkway becomes a conflagration; a weeping widow morphs into an obelisk for an unknown soldier. Simonova looks like some vengeful Old Testament deity as she destroys then recreates her scenes - with deft strokes, sprinkles and sweeps she keeps the narrative going. She moves the judges to tears as she subtitles the final scene "you are always near".