Clear Skies
‘Clear Skies’ playing cards paying tribute to the Ukrainian people in the face of war.
This pack was produced via Kickstarter to support and pay tribute to the Ukrainian people, victims of Vladimir Putin’s invasion by the Russian army in 2022. It was designed by Ritu Bhattacharya and Bivas Bhattacharjee (Old Gravity) and Max Saiz (Max Playing Cards), and was published by Noir Arts of Lviv, Ukraine. Two versions were produced: Freedom (2000 packs) and Unity (500 packs) • See the box
From the website: “Each of the suits is inspired and expresses a positive value. The freedom of clubs, the unity of diamonds, the truth of spades, and the love of hearts. These cards are full of best wishes for a people fighting for their freedom…. The back is an allegory represented by a golden tree, partially burned, still shining under the cosmic light coming from the universe. It is a destroyed country with a light and an inner strength that radiates hope”.
Above: ‘Clear Skies’ playing cards published by Noir Arts of Lviv, Ukraine, 2022.
Note: with the war continuing, in March 2023, a second edition of Clear Skies, known as the Resistance edition was published. In 2024, with the need to keep supporting Ukraine, two further editions were produced: Destruction and Battlefield.
By Peter Burnett
United Kingdom • Member since July 27, 2022 • Contact
I graduated in Russian and East European Studies from Birmingham University in 1969. It was as an undergraduate in Moscow in 1968 that I stumbled upon my first 3 packs of “unusual” playing cards which fired my curiosity and thence my life-long interest. I began researching and collecting cards in the early 1970s, since when I’ve acquired over 3,330 packs of non-standard cards, mainly from North America, UK and Western Europe, and of course from Russia and the former communist countries.
Following my retirement from the Bodleian Library in Dec. 2007 I took up a new role as Head of Library Development at the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) to support library development in low-income countries. This work necessitated regular training visits to many sub-Saharan African countries and also further afield, to Vietnam, Nepal and Bangladesh – all of which provided rich opportunities to further expand my playing card collection.
Since 2019 I’ve been working part-time in the Bodleian Library where I’ve been cataloguing the bequest of the late Donald Welsh, founder of the English Playing Card Society.
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