VALENTINA IVANOVA: HER PHILANTHROPIC CREATIVE ART IN MONACO

by Virginia De Masi

MONACO.  Valentina Ivanova is an artist of Ukrainian origin who has dedicated herself with passion to many artistic forms since childhood, mainly cultivating painting, dance and acting. After some work experience on cruise ships, about 20 years ago, just twenty-four, she decided to leave her country and move to Italy, falling in love with the Ligurian Riviera di Ponente until she decided to live in Bordighera. Once she became a mother 16 years ago, she learned that the Russian consulate in the Principality of Monaco was giving Russian language courses. Wanting to keep her mother tongue, she enrolled her little son in a Russian institution, taking him to Monaco once a week. And it was from that school that the first of her many cultural and charitable initiatives started. Here in Monaco the Ukrainian community boasts the presence of other interesting personalities belonging to the artistic sphere, such as the cultured musician Mykhail Kulyniak, a famous Ukrainian violinist now resident in Monaco, or Mrs. Jeanne Kostenko, engaged in fruitful cultural exchanges and wife of one of the founders of the Monegasque top jewelry brand “Kalina”, a very evocative Ukrainian name. The Ukrainians do not forget their roots and remain ardent art lovers, what constitutes a common fund among the peoples of their and our world. Back to the hero of this story, having found a job in Monte-Carlo, she brought with her an important Italian and Ukrainian artistic baggage. In Munich, Ivanova showed all her talent, using the artistic wealth of the great Slavic culture in all its forms. Noting her ability in many small things created to amuse the little ones, it happened that one of the mothers asked her to organize a birthday party, where she, inspired by an illustration, lavished a quantity of colourful balloons in various special shapes.  he meeting was so successful that Valentina decided to learn all the secrets of the decoration sector. She increased her hobby to make it a real job taking part in a highly specialized course in Milan. Acclaim and satisfaction soon arrived, such as when she had the honour of organizing children’s Christmas in the Rainier III Auditorium, in the presence of Prince Albert II of Monaco, who congratulated her profoundly. On other occasions she created special objects with balloons, such as for the AMSTT – Tennis Table Association, or when she made a splendid panel for the 15th anniversary of TOP MARQUES, all in silver and blue, and for Femme Leader alike. For charity, she set up decorations for the Fondation Flavien, Telethon, and No Finish Line. Today Valentina fulfils her most important desire, that of creating incredible moments of art, capable of establishing a common dynamic suitable for adults and children, happy to use her talent by organizing events and shows in Monte-Carlo.  Her specialty continues to be the use of coloured balloons, an activity that requires a long preparation, means inflating thousands of balloons for many days, in particular to build balloon dresses as she did for Les Enfants de Charlie, for elementary schools and for Les anges Gardiens de Monaco. Every year she performs the decoration for the Journee Internationale des Droits des Enfants, and with other artists she participated in the 30th anniversary of the Association, highly praised by Prince Albert himself and Princess Carolina. For three years now she has also participated in the Sapin de Noel charity auction organized by @IMC, donating a Christmas tree made of balloons. Furthermore, as soon as she arrived in Munich, Valentina became an effective member of the “AMADE” Association, which takes care of assisting sick children, and here she has already achieved many truly excellent results, for example by organizing in 2016 the 50th anniversary of Association, and much more. Since 2014 she has been an associate member of the Order of Saint Lazare de Jerusalem with titre hospitalier, occasionally assisting elderly people in Cap Fleuri , setting up beautiful balloon shows and also bringing his creations to the Princesse Grace Hospital. But that’s not enough, because since 2018 she has been vice president of a new Association, Ensemble pour les Enfants, with free admission to groups of sick children to her shows. Today the Coronavirus pandemia has slowed down a bit her intent to insert these unfortunate children in dance, acting and decoration projects. This important commitment has already been very gratifying for her, because it was greatly appreciated by the whole Monegasque community giving her the impetus to tackle the next project.

This one is an unprecedented initiative that will also involve the Munich authorities, and it will be based on music of all kinds, from classical to pop. Ivanova will invite talented children, adolescents and young people with or without disabilities to participate, also in order to dissuade them from the shallow distractions of the social network, a virtual world that too often takes them away from more important things, such as culture and art education.