Studio Ghibli’s Nizo Yamamoto sells art to support Ukraine

Yamamoto has worked at the studio for many years, and was an art director on some of its biggest films.  His credentials include Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Princess Mononoke, and Grave of the Fireflies. That last one – released in 1986 – explores the aftermath and fallout of the nuclear bombs dropped on Japan in 1945.

Though we’ve not seen any exclusive artwork up for sale just yet, Yamamoto has said he intends to create a piece specifically for the UNICEF fundraiser, and would like to make a personal contribution himself.

In a tweet last week, he expressed his full support for Ukraine. ‘I oppose Russia’s invasion,’ he said. ‘I would like to make a donation.’

ロシアのウクライナ侵攻に反対します。今、ウクライナの人々のために自分にできる事は何だろうかと考えました。ユニセフを通じて個人的に寄付したり、絵を描いて販売し全額寄付したりしたいと思っています。詳細は後日お知らせします。 pic.twitter.com/RPwgGImneb

— 山本二三(絵映舎) (@kaieisha_nizo_y) February 28, 2022

To keep up to date on the progress of this fundraiser, it’s worth following Yamamoto’s official Twitter page here.

Though the conflict is still ongoing, its cultural impact has been felt strongly across many industries, including fashion, energy and oil, as well as art.

The Ukrainian flag has been used across the globe to express solidarity and support, with illustrators from all different regions incorporating its colours into their pieces as a form of political protest. This article by Dezeen highlights some stand-outs, for those curious.

Elsewhere, Art4Ukraine is a new fundraiser that is raising money via sales of original photography prints taken by Ukrainian artists. Each piece is £100, but all profits will be donated to both Choose Love and War Child, specifically to help Ukraine.

If you’d like to check out the sale you can here – but it only runs until the 16^th March, so get in quick!