A COLLECTIVE EFFORT
Our Mission — Art of Peace.
Art of Peace is a Swiss civic platform operating at the intersection of culture, politics, and public consciousness. Our mission is to strengthen peace through dialogue, awareness, and civic responsibility, creating a space where culture, knowledge, and solidarity become instruments of transformation.
We bring together artists, researchers, journalists, activists, and policymakers from Switzerland, Europe, and the broader post‑Soviet region to develop new forms of cultural and political engagement. Our work is grounded in the belief that sustainable peace is possible only when society is built on truth, a strong legal culture, and respect for human dignity.
We support:
- Civic initiatives that advance rights, democratic development, and public dialogue.
- Cultural projects that generate alternative narratives and strengthen societal resilience.
- Educational formats that foster reflection, critical thinking, and intercultural exchange.
- European partnerships uniting universities, NGOs, and independent media.
- Integration processes, including support for refugees, cultural adaptation, and professional inclusion.
- The development of critical thinking and resistance to cognitive manipulation and propaganda practices.
- Documentation of social trauma, support for those affected, and opportunities for their voices to be heard in the public sphere.
We create a space where culture is not decoration, but a tool for healing, resisting violence, and shaping a future built on freedom, dignity, and mutual respect.
Art of Peace
OUR TEAM-Art of Peace
With faith in better things.
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Polina Sommer
President of the "Art of Peace".
Swiss public figure, fashion designer, and artist whose practice weaves together visual art, design, cultural initiatives, and social projects.
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Vasilii Tsependa
Vice President of "Art of Peace".Architect and interdisciplinary researcher working at the intersection of spatial design, visual culture, and sociopolitical processes.
- Marina OkhrimovskayaBoard Member of “Art of Peace”.
Journalist, editor, and co‑founder of the online magazine “Switzerland for All”, writing in Russian and Ukrainian and collaborating with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
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Luiza Galbraith
Board Member of “Art of Peace”.Ukrainian artist working across oil painting and digital exhibition formats, exploring nature, inner movement, and healing visual narratives.
Art of Peace
Our Projects
Dialogue Formats and Public Discussions
We create spaces for open conversation about the future of Europe, democracy, and civic responsibility. Our events bring together researchers, artists, journalists, activists, and policymakers, fostering new models of public engagement.
Formats: panel discussions, round tables, public lectures, intercultural dialogues.
Cultural Initiatives and Art Projects
Culture is our tool for reflection, transformation, and strengthening societal resilience. Art of Peace supports artists and curators, develops collaborations with European cultural institutions, and promotes new forms of cultural dialogue.
Projects: exhibitions, performances, art residencies, educational programs.
Research and Analytical Work
We develop expert formats addressing contemporary challenges — from disinformation to civic resilience. Our research helps society better understand mechanisms of manipulation and reinforces democratic processes.
Focus areas: cognitive resilience, media literacy, analytical reports, international conferences.
Support for Civic Initiatives
Art of Peace collaborates with European NGOs, independent media, and grassroots groups, amplifying their voices and creating new opportunities for cooperation.
We support: human rights projects, democratic culture initiatives, local communities, educational and social programs.
Integration and Humanitarian Programs
We help people in vulnerable situations find stability, adapt, and participate in European civic life.
Includes: integration support, cultural adaptation, professional guidance, social and psychological assistance.
Documenting Social Trauma and Working with Memory
We support projects that help society reflect on traumatic experiences, address the consequences of violence, and preserve testimonies.
Formats: documentary films, archival initiatives, exhibitions, public testimonies.
Dialogue Formats and Public Discussions
We create spaces for open conversation about the future of Europe, democracy, and civic responsibility. Our events bring together researchers, artists, journalists, activists, and policymakers, fostering new models of public engagement.
Formats: panel discussions, round tables, public lectures, intercultural dialogues.
Cultural Initiatives and Art Projects
Culture is our tool for reflection, transformation, and strengthening societal resilience. Art of Peace supports artists and curators, develops collaborations with European cultural institutions, and promotes new forms of cultural dialogue.
Projects: exhibitions, performances, art residencies, educational programs.
Research and Analytical Work
We develop expert formats addressing contemporary challenges — from disinformation to civic resilience. Our research helps society better understand mechanisms of manipulation and reinforces democratic processes.
Focus areas: cognitive resilience, media literacy, analytical reports, international conferences.
Support for Civic Initiatives
Art of Peace collaborates with European NGOs, independent media, and grassroots groups, amplifying their voices and creating new opportunities for cooperation.
We support: human rights projects, democratic culture initiatives, local communities, educational and social programs.
Integration and Humanitarian Programs
We help people in vulnerable situations find stability, adapt, and participate in European civic life.
Includes: integration support, cultural adaptation, professional guidance, social and psychological assistance.
Documenting Social Trauma and Working with Memory
We support projects that help society reflect on traumatic experiences, address the consequences of violence, and preserve testimonies.
Formats: documentary films, archival initiatives, exhibitions, public testimonies.
Art of Peace
News
Polina Sommer aus Zürich ist Gründerin der Bürgerplattform "Art of Peace", der Vertreter aus Russland, der Ukraine und der Schweiz angehören.
Die Vergessenen im Krieg.
Polina Sommer aus Zürich ist Gründerin der Bürgerplattform «Art of Peace», der Vertreter aus Russland, der Ukraine und der Schweiz angehören.
Ukrainische Zivilisten werden schon seit Beginn der Invasion 2014 verschleppt. Dennoch wird über diese Menschen bis heute kaum gesprochen. Ihre Schicksale bleiben häufig im Verborgenen.
Die Schweizer Friedens- und Menschenrechtsorganisation Art of Peace will diesen Menschen eine Stimme geben und damit den internationalen Druck erhöhen. Je höher der Druck, desto grösser die Chance, dass sie freikommen.
Präsidentin Polina Sommer (42) sagt gegenüber Blick: «Pavlo hatte das grosse Glück, freizukommen.» Viele andere würden seit Jahren auf ihre Freiheit warten. Ebenso litten ihre Familien, die seit dem Verschwinden ihrer Angehörigen unermüdlich nach Antworten suchen und für deren Rückkehr kämpfen. Sommer: «Wir werden weiterhin alles in unserer Macht Stehende tun, damit diese Menschen nicht vergessen werden und hoffentlich gesund zu ihren Familien zurückkehren können.»
Polina Sommer aus Zürich ist Gründerin der Bürgerplattform «Art of Peace», der Vertreter aus Russland, der Ukraine und der Schweiz angehören.
Ukrainische Zivilisten werden schon seit Beginn der Invasion 2014 verschleppt. Dennoch wird über diese Menschen bis heute kaum gesprochen. Ihre Schicksale bleiben häufig im Verborgenen.
Die Schweizer Friedens- und Menschenrechtsorganisation Art of Peace will diesen Menschen eine Stimme geben und damit den internationalen Druck erhöhen. Je höher der Druck, desto grösser die Chance, dass sie freikommen.
Präsidentin Polina Sommer (42) sagt gegenüber Blick: «Pavlo hatte das grosse Glück, freizukommen.» Viele andere würden seit Jahren auf ihre Freiheit warten. Ebenso litten ihre Familien, die seit dem Verschwinden ihrer Angehörigen unermüdlich nach Antworten suchen und für deren Rückkehr kämpfen. Sommer: «Wir werden weiterhin alles in unserer Macht Stehende tun, damit diese Menschen nicht vergessen werden und hoffentlich gesund zu ihren Familien zurückkehren können.»
Die Geschichte dieses mutigen Menschen.
https://www.blick.ch/ausland/gefoltert-und-gefluechtet-pavlo-shmulevychs-ueberlebenskampf-id22125437.html
https://www.blick.ch/ausland/gefoltert-und-gefluechtet-pavlo-shmulevychs-ueberlebenskampf-id22125437.html
Pavlo Shmulevych ist ein bemerkenswerter und mutiger Mensch, dessen Geschichte die Realität und das Leid Tausender ukrainischer Bürgerinnen und Bürger widerspiegelt, die derzeit rechtswidrig in russischen Gefängnissen und Lagern festgehalten werden. Diese Menschen erleiden täglich körperliche und psychische Gewalt, Folter sowie systematischen Terror, der darauf abzielt, ihren Geist zu brechen und ihnen ihre Würde zu nehmen.
Wir glauben an ihre Stärke und ihren Mut und daran, dass ihnen Gerechtigkeit widerfahren wird. Ihre Stimmen sind ein Zeugnis dafür, dass selbst unter extremsten Bedingungen die Freiheit des Menschen nicht vollständig unterdrückt werden kann.
«Art of Peace» sowie Hunderte engagierte Menschen weltweit werden Pavlo und allen ukrainischen Bürgerinnen und Bürgern, die von rechtswidriger Inhaftierung und Gewalt betroffen sind, weiterhin zur Seite stehen. Wir setzen uns dafür ein, dass ihre Geschichten gehört werden und ihnen Gerechtigkeit widerfährt.
Polina Sommer
Präsidentin der Stiftung «Art of Peace».
Wir glauben an ihre Stärke und ihren Mut und daran, dass ihnen Gerechtigkeit widerfahren wird. Ihre Stimmen sind ein Zeugnis dafür, dass selbst unter extremsten Bedingungen die Freiheit des Menschen nicht vollständig unterdrückt werden kann.
«Art of Peace» sowie Hunderte engagierte Menschen weltweit werden Pavlo und allen ukrainischen Bürgerinnen und Bürgern, die von rechtswidriger Inhaftierung und Gewalt betroffen sind, weiterhin zur Seite stehen. Wir setzen uns dafür ein, dass ihre Geschichten gehört werden und ihnen Gerechtigkeit widerfährt.
Polina Sommer
Präsidentin der Stiftung «Art of Peace».
The Abducted and Missing of Ukraine.
«Art of Peace», together with its partners, held an information evening in Zurich titled “The Abducted and Missing of Ukraine,” dedicated to the fate of civilians who have disappeared or are unlawfully detained in Russian prisons. The event took place on 17 March 2026 and aimed to draw the attention of the international community — including Swiss policymakers — to this urgent humanitarian issue and the need to protect the rights of those affected.
The programme featured contributions from Ukrainian and international experts, members of parliamentary and human rights institutions, research organisations, and civil society. Speakers discussed the documentation of violations, mechanisms of international accountability, and the experiences of families whose relatives have been abducted or gone missing.
The evening also included video testimony about the system of unlawful detentions, as well as statements from survivors.
Admission was free, with interpretation provided in English and Ukrainian.
«Art of Peace», together with its partners, held an information evening in Zurich titled “The Abducted and Missing of Ukraine,” dedicated to the fate of civilians who have disappeared or are unlawfully detained in Russian prisons. The event took place on 17 March 2026 and aimed to draw the attention of the international community — including Swiss policymakers — to this urgent humanitarian issue and the need to protect the rights of those affected.
The programme featured contributions from Ukrainian and international experts, members of parliamentary and human rights institutions, research organisations, and civil society. Speakers discussed the documentation of violations, mechanisms of international accountability, and the experiences of families whose relatives have been abducted or gone missing.
The evening also included video testimony about the system of unlawful detentions, as well as statements from survivors.
Admission was free, with interpretation provided in English and Ukrainian.
Polina Sommer has established herself as a critical voice against the Kremlin’s regime in Switzerland. Today, she says she is experiencing a sense of disillusionment — not because of Trump, from whom she expected nothing but lies and dishonesty, but because of the Russian opposition itself.
“At the beginning of the war, I thought we would resist with determination,” she says. But she quickly noticed deep divisions: some members of the opposition only want to get rid of Putin, while others — including herself — question the entire Russian political system and clearly support Ukraine.
“At the beginning of the war, I thought we would resist with determination,” she says. But she quickly noticed deep divisions: some members of the opposition only want to get rid of Putin, while others — including herself — question the entire Russian political system and clearly support Ukraine.
After the start of the war, Marina Okhrimovskaya changed her main area of focus and joined the platform https://forall.swiss/
Journalist and co‑founder of the online media outlet www.forall.swiss, Marina Okhrimovskaïa long focused on topics such as education, culture, and the integration of migrants in Switzerland. But since February 24, 2022, her priorities have changed: “Now I mainly document the war crimes committed by Russia,” she explains.
She hopes that the United States will not turn its back on international justice. “If Donald Trump allows Putin to escape a trial, then he and his successors will feel free to continue their aggression against Europe and the countries of the former USSR,” she warns.
Marina has spent one third of her life in Ukraine, one third in Russia, and the last third abroad. She speaks Ukrainian, Russian, and French, and is currently learning German. “Knowledge of several languages and cultures is a real asset,” she concludes.
She hopes that the United States will not turn its back on international justice. “If Donald Trump allows Putin to escape a trial, then he and his successors will feel free to continue their aggression against Europe and the countries of the former USSR,” she warns.
Marina has spent one third of her life in Ukraine, one third in Russia, and the last third abroad. She speaks Ukrainian, Russian, and French, and is currently learning German. “Knowledge of several languages and cultures is a real asset,” she concludes.
Peace for Ukraine?
An engaging and heated discussion took place on the Swiss TV channel SRF about possible pathways to peace for Ukraine. The participants debated how far Donald Trump might go in negotiations with Putin, why the European Union is increasing its armament efforts, what security guarantees Ukraine needs, and what role Switzerland can play in this process.
Participants: Polina Sommer–public figure and head of "Art of Peace".
Roger Köppel–publicist and publisher of Weltwoche.
Markus Somm–editor‑in‑chief of Nebelspalter
An engaging and heated discussion took place on the Swiss TV channel SRF about possible pathways to peace for Ukraine. The participants debated how far Donald Trump might go in negotiations with Putin, why the European Union is increasing its armament efforts, what security guarantees Ukraine needs, and what role Switzerland can play in this process.
Participants: Polina Sommer–public figure and head of "Art of Peace".
Roger Köppel–publicist and publisher of Weltwoche.
Markus Somm–editor‑in‑chief of Nebelspalter
“Russians in Switzerland call for a protest against Putin. She lives in constant fear of being poisoned or otherwise attacked. Nevertheless, Polina Sommer, a Russian living in Zurich, is calling for a major anti‑Putin protest . The action is taking place worldwide.”
Vasilii Tsependa:
“The Russian army is not a formidable force but a myth created by Putin’s propaganda.The destruction of a significant part of Russia’s strategic aviation aircraft at airfields located thousands of kilometers from the front line once again demonstrates that the Russian army is not a fearsome power but an awkward myth — an absurd monster created by Putin’s propaganda to serve the dictatorial regime, soothe the average citizen, and intimidate neighboring countries.”
“The yearning of a significant part of Russian society for ‘rising from its knees’ — through strengthening the military, militarizing public life, and demonstratively opposing the civilized world — was not merely exploited by the Kremlin. It was deliberately inflated and steered, turning this sentiment into the foundation of one of the greatest deceptions of recent decades.
Freedom was skillfully replaced with the illusion of security and the belief that the whole world trembles before ‘Russian weapons.’
At the very beginning of what has effectively become his lifelong rule, Putin sensed and began to cultivate a public demand for revenge — a rehabilitation of failed imperial ambitions. He consciously draped young, still democratic Russia in the worn, foul‑smelling hide of previous regimes, instilling in people a false sense of belonging and, at times, even complicity in the crimes of dictators and fallen empires.”
“The Russian army is not a formidable force but a myth created by Putin’s propaganda.The destruction of a significant part of Russia’s strategic aviation aircraft at airfields located thousands of kilometers from the front line once again demonstrates that the Russian army is not a fearsome power but an awkward myth — an absurd monster created by Putin’s propaganda to serve the dictatorial regime, soothe the average citizen, and intimidate neighboring countries.”
“The yearning of a significant part of Russian society for ‘rising from its knees’ — through strengthening the military, militarizing public life, and demonstratively opposing the civilized world — was not merely exploited by the Kremlin. It was deliberately inflated and steered, turning this sentiment into the foundation of one of the greatest deceptions of recent decades.
Freedom was skillfully replaced with the illusion of security and the belief that the whole world trembles before ‘Russian weapons.’
At the very beginning of what has effectively become his lifelong rule, Putin sensed and began to cultivate a public demand for revenge — a rehabilitation of failed imperial ambitions. He consciously draped young, still democratic Russia in the worn, foul‑smelling hide of previous regimes, instilling in people a false sense of belonging and, at times, even complicity in the crimes of dictators and fallen empires.”
Putin – How far will he go? The annexation of the occupied territories in eastern Ukraine, the partial mobilization, the suspected attack on the Nord Stream pipelines — developments in the war are accelerating. And above all hangs the question: what comes next? How far is Putin prepared to go when he is backed into a corner?
Joining Barbara Lüthi for the discussion:
Sylvia Sasse,Polina Sommer,Marcus Keupp,
Christof Franzen.
Joining Barbara Lüthi for the discussion:
Sylvia Sasse,Polina Sommer,Marcus Keupp,
Christof Franzen.
Art of Peace
Support Art of Peace
Art of Peace works at the intersection of peacebuilding, society, and the information space at a time when war, disinformation, and polarization directly affect Europe. Our initiatives include supporting and integrating refugees, raising awareness about war crimes and international responsibility, strengthening resilience to disinformation, and creating spaces for dialogue, culture, and civic engagement.
This work is independent, civic, and long‑term. Unlike state or corporate structures, Art of Peace does not rely on large institutional budgets — it exists thanks to people who take responsibility and choose to support peace and social cohesion.
Your contribution makes real impact: it enables direct assistance to refugees, educational and awareness projects, cultural and artistic initiatives, and the development of sustainable structures for long‑term peace. To maintain this work professionally and responsibly, funding also includes fair compensation for the team and essential project costs — all used transparently and strictly for their intended purpose.
Art of Peace is a non‑profit organization. Your donation is not a symbolic gesture — it is an investment in stability, responsibility, and a more resilient society.
Art of Peace works at the intersection of peacebuilding, society, and the information space at a time when war, disinformation, and polarization directly affect Europe. Our initiatives include supporting and integrating refugees, raising awareness about war crimes and international responsibility, strengthening resilience to disinformation, and creating spaces for dialogue, culture, and civic engagement.
This work is independent, civic, and long‑term. Unlike state or corporate structures, Art of Peace does not rely on large institutional budgets — it exists thanks to people who take responsibility and choose to support peace and social cohesion.
Your contribution makes real impact: it enables direct assistance to refugees, educational and awareness projects, cultural and artistic initiatives, and the development of sustainable structures for long‑term peace. To maintain this work professionally and responsibly, funding also includes fair compensation for the team and essential project costs — all used transparently and strictly for their intended purpose.
Art of Peace is a non‑profit organization. Your donation is not a symbolic gesture — it is an investment in stability, responsibility, and a more resilient society.
Get in touch with us
Art of Peace
Mail: infoartofpeace.foundation@gmail.com
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