CLEVELAND — About 5,000 miles away from home, Igor Velykyy keeps a close eye on the finishing touches on the art installations inside DION Art's East 9th Street showroom.
As DION Art CEO Ilya Palatnik explains, the company began in Ukraine in 2014, creating art installations, water features, fire features and light installations and has since grown to include offices in Cleveland.
"Everywhere around you, you see a piece of Ukrainian culture," Patalnik explained while highlighting the new showroom, which is set to open over the next week or so.
Velykyy, a Ukraine native, moved to Northeast Ohio almost a year ago after he and his family realized it was no longer safe to stay in the capital city of Kyiv.
"It’s a difficult time for every Ukrainian citizen and the country as a whole," he said.
For more than 500 days, the war in Ukraine has led to the death of thousands and unrest across the region.
According to Global Cleveland, an organization dedicated to welcoming and integrating people from around the world into the area, an estimated 5,000 Ukrainians and counting have resettled in Northeast Ohio since the start of the war.
Palatnik, who was born in Russia, shook his head at what his home country has done to neighboring Ukraine over the last year and a half.
"It’s embarrassing that the president of my home and birth country is doing this," he said. Nothing more to say; he destroyed a country. No matter what happens and when this ends, [Ukraine is] not going to be the same for a long time. What they’ve done to it is unspeakable."
The pair had worked on opposite ends of the earth, focusing on projects for some of the world’s biggest stages.
Nowadays, much of their focus is put toward building beauty in Northeast Ohio, with a new downtown installation already up outside the recently renovated 55 Public Square.
"It’s a monument sign with a wow factor," Palatnik said.
RELATED: More than $80 million worth of renovations wrapping up at 55 Public Square
The company still maintains offices in Ukraine, and surprisingly enough, the two told News 5 the need for new art in Ukraine remains.
"Even when cities are getting bombed left and right, they’re still putting money into things like that just because they want to show that this is affecting them, but it's not affecting them to the point where it's a dead stop," Palatnik said.
A devotion to the soul of a city and a country tested to its core.
"Art is what brings people out of their home," Palatnik said.
"It brings people together and brings them happiness and smiles where they wouldn’t be before," Velykyy said.
To learn more about DION Art, click here.
Clay LePard is a special projects reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on Twitter @ClayLePard or on Facebook Clay LePard News 5.
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