August 2023 · Art & music for a cause
After Dark
Art direction and production of AI-assisted digital artworks and animated covers for a charity music release supporting the Khabensky Foundation.
A release with a purpose
A contact at the music label invited me to bring the SXEMA artist community into a charitable release. Musicians had recorded the songs; our contribution was the visual world around them: cover artwork, animation and promotional materials.
The seven-track compilation addresses childhood cancer through songs about hope and inner strength. Its release announcement pledged 99% of streaming royalties to the Khabensky Foundation.
The Khabensky Foundation supports children and young adults with brain and spinal cord tumours, helping fund diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation.
About the Khabensky Foundation ↗My role
As founder of the SXEMA community, I invited digital artists to take part and led the visual contribution as art director, curator and producer. We developed the concept together, connecting each artist’s response to the music with the purpose of the release.
I curated the collaboration and production of the cover and promotional artworks. The individual works remain credited to their artists; my role was to bring the people, ideas and deliverables together.
Transformation, not illustration
Butterflies became an image of transformation and resilience. In the artists’ accounts, changing light and wing movements express moments of solitude, support and continuing forward.
Other responses included an X-ray-like flower opening despite its fragility. Digital and AI-assisted imagery gave the artists a way to respond emotionally to the tracks without illustrating illness directly.
Read the artists’ accounts · SXEMA ↗
From streaming to the showroom
The artworks accompanied the release as covers and animated promotional visuals across music platforms, including Yandex Music and Spotify. We also screened them in the SXEMA studio showroom, bringing the online collaboration into a shared physical space.
Listen to Afterdark
The official release page brings together the album and its listening platforms. Availability can vary by country or account.
Credits & context
Music producer: Tim Aminov. Visual art direction, curation and production: Eva Sviridova / SXEMA.
Featured artists: Valeria Titova, DAMN TRUE, Valeria Ori and heavensssblade. The original project also includes Antipov 3D and Ruslan Vyaltsev.
Read the artists’ stories · SXEMA ↗