This sculpture is composed of letters salvaged from the welcome sign of Liubymivka, a frontline village in Ukraine’s Kherson region. The village was initially seized by Russian forces in March 2022 and was subsequently liberated by Ukrainian troops on October 3rd of the same year. The sign, once a symbol of civic identity, was heavily damaged by Russian artillery and close-quarters combat.
This sculpture forms the word “Volya”, a term that uniquely carries the meaning of both “freedom” and “will”. This dual meaning captures the Ukrainian spirit. It reflects that freedom is not a passive state, but a condition achieved and sustained only through the exertion of will. The two concepts are intertwined: freedom necessitates the will to fight, to endure, and to protect. It is through the persistent exercise of will that freedom becomes a lived reality.
Artist: Oleksiy Sai
Volya, 2025
My belief is that many of us in the western world take freedom for granted. Very few of us have ever known anything else. In these perilous times, we cannot afford to keep living inside this bubble of ignorance. We must wake up and defend the freedoms we enjoy – and the way to do that is by helping Ukraine and ensuring that the axis of terror loses what is, in essence, a third world war. Help me fund more ambulances by sharing the songs through which I speak about Ukraine and raise support.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5a0cL1S8meI9qNj8BXX8I2?si=Slj-czCmT52Um9QANvtrqQ