On October 5, 2023, a book presentation by 12-year-old artist with autism Maksym Brovchenko was held at the Planetarium Noosphere in Dnipro. The joint event of the NGO “Child with Future” and Planetarium Noosphere in Dnipro introduced the audience to the first literary work of the talented schoolboy from the temporarily occupied Berdiansk – the book “Planet A”. The boy’s work about the value of peace and life, love and tolerance, written long before the full-scale invasion of our homeland, has become prophetic and highly relevant in the current military realities.
The presentation was held in the format of the author’s story about the work and its main idea and live communication with guests and media representatives. Planetarium Noosphere provided an amazing accompaniment to the presentation. All the guests were able to enjoy the combination of the boy’s story and the author’s full-dome visuals of dozens of paintings created by the Planetarium Noosphere team, which allowed them to immerse themselves in the world and understanding of the author’s life. The presentation of the book was accompanied by a performance by the Ukrainian band Situation with their new song “Others” about people with special needs. Invited representatives of local authorities, media, NGOs, cultural figures and representatives of the cultural sector, art lovers, etc. also came to learn more about Maksym’s book.
“Maksym began writing Planet A at home in Berdiansk, before russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine. This is a fantastic work about the life of aliens and their forced arrival on Earth, in Ukraine, which was caused by external aggression. Although the book contains many analogies to the current tragic situation in Ukraine, it is actually a work about the value of peace and the value of life, of which people with special needs are an integral part. Maksym uses simple children’s words to show and explain what autism, tolerance, peace, war, love are through his characters… Maksym’s idea is a new and unexpected way to explain the basic things that should be instilled in every person from an early age.
“I am very happy to present my book in Ukrainian, which will soon be available for purchase. It is an incredible feeling to hold it in my hands,” said Maksym Brovchenko.
The review of the book Planet A was written by Mykhailo Sergienko, an autistic boy and a good friend of Maksym Brovchenko:
“Conspiracy theories and incredible stories have been built around aliens for decades. It’s usually quite difficult to verify their authenticity through experience, but I hasten to assure you that this book is proof of their existence!”
The presentation of the book was held as part of the exhibition of paintings by Maksym Brovchenko, which runs in Dnipro from September 15 to October 15, 2023. This is the VII exposition of the artistic works of the little “Ukrainian Picasso”, as the 12-year-old artist was nicknamed in the media, which combines paintings of space and patriotic themes.
Inna Sergienko, the founder of the “Child with Future” NGO, happily shared her impressions of the event:
“At the beginning of our acquaintance with Maksym, I wished that all his dreams would come true. And today one of them has come true: the first book of our wonderful artist has been published. Believe me, this is a very original work with many author’s illustrations, which introduces the reader not only to the inhabitants of another planet, but also to the basic principles of building a peaceful society and a model of coexistence of all living beings. This book should be useful primarily to us, adults. And we, in turn, express our sincere gratitude to Planetarium Noosphere for the excellent organization of the event and look forward to new invaluable meetings and joint activities for the sake of Victory and our common great future.
Maksym Brovchenko is already a well-known artist in Ukraine and abroad, who uses the proceeds from the sale of his paintings to help the Armed Forces and support Ukrainian children with autism. For his volunteer work, the boy received an award from the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which he is incredibly proud of. As gifts, the boy’s paintings adorn the collections of many of our defenders, including First Lady Olena Zelenska, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Pope Francis, Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko, and others.
And we, of course, all hope that the public will welcome the new work well, and that literary critics will be lenient to the young author!
