A new monument created as a symbol of hope and peace worldwide is coming to Liverpool in time for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Called the Ukrainian Peace Monument - measuring 22 ft tall and cast in aluminium - the statue features a book, a dove and the Ukrainian flag which sits atop a man’s outstretched arm.
It will be situated in Woolton in The Salvation Army’s Strawberry Field on the grounds that were made famous in The Beatles’ song - Strawberry Fields Forever - with “messages in keeping with John Lennon’s famous anti-war anthem and using the power of music to unite countries everywhere”. On Friday, February 24 - exactly one year since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine - a smaller four ft maquette of the sculpture will be unveiled to special guests at the Ukrainian Art and Cultural Centre in America.
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The life-sized version will be transported to Strawberry Field, where it will be a temporary feature at the attraction in time for the Eurovision Song Contest in May. After being in Liverpool between May 9 - 13, the sculpture will be permanently placed in Ukraine when it’s deemed safe to do so.
Kathy Versfeld, mission director at Strawberry Field, said: “We are so honoured to be chosen as the temporary home for the Ukrainian Peace Monument and to fulfil the wishes of the Global Peace Initiative which aims to reduce violence and conflict around the world and promote peace - sentiments that John embodied throughout his life.
“This sculpture is a wonderful new addition to our gardens, particularly for the local Ukrainian community, who we have been supporting. The monument will also sit alongside the new Strawberry Field bandstand. Indeed, Eurovision will remind us how music has the power to unite us in times of strife. Our message is clear - whoever you are, wherever you are, give peace a chance.”
The peace monument is being commissioned by California-based organisation, Global Peace Initiative, and is part of a wider group of monuments exhibited across the continent including Singapore and Liverpool in 2010 when an 18 ft peace sculpture was unveiled to commemorate John Lennon’s 70th birthday.
The Ukrainian Peace Monument was created by 16-year-old Mexican art prodigy, Osbelit Garcia-Morales. Osbelit’s village has a population of only 686 with no art galleries or museums, so artistic inspiration was "minimal". And yet, Osbelit was said to be “creating jaw-dropping paintings by the time she reached middle school”. At just 16 years old, Osbelit is “already being hailed as an artistic genius”.
Artist Osbelit Garcia-Morales said: “I’ve been listening to the song, ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ quite a bit. John Lennon sang: 'living is easy with eyes closed'. Coming from a small town in Mexico, it is easy to close one’s eyes to the suffering of people many thousands of miles away.
“But, to have peace anywhere is to have peace everywhere, and so each of us must raise our voice in any way we can to ask that we all live in peace. That is why I adorned my monument with the message, 'Live Peace'. I created this monument as a symbol of hope that the Ukrainian people can soon live in peace again.”
During the month-long cultural festival that precedes the Eurovision final on May 13, Strawberry Field will be offering a varied programme of educational and community events in conjunction with partners across the Liverpool City Region, the local Ukrainian community and other faith groups.
The Global Peace Initiative added: “The policy of the Global Peace Initiative has been to commission young artists to design and create our monuments for peace, for it is the young who suffer the most in times of war. In choosing Osbelit Garcia-Morales to create our monument for the people of Ukraine, we gained the dual advantage of a young artistic genius who could create a masterful work of art but also imbue it with such a powerful message of peace.”
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