World-famous Ukrainian ballet dancer Sergei Polunin has made a call for love and unity in the latest campaign by clothing brand Diesel, dubbed as “Make Love Not Walls,” in a thinly veiled dig at the policies of new U.S. President Donald Trump.
In a video directed by David Lachapelle and uploaded to YouTube on Feb. 14, Polunin, who was born in the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine, is seen wandering through a desert area until he reaches a tall grey wall with a barbed wire on top, apparently symbolizing the wall that President Trump says he will build between the United States and Mexico.
The video, directed by American photographer and music video director David Lachapelle, famous for his exuberant style, was uploaded to Youtube on Feb. 14.
Polunin throws a flower over the wall and starts a ballet routine. The camera angle then switches to the other side of the wall, where a few young people are hanging around. A girl throws a flower back over to the Polunin’s side, which puts a wide smile on the dancer’s face.
Then the youths try to counter the wall together in various ways: at first climbing it, and then finally breaking through it, creating a heart-shaped hole in the middle. Polunin and rebels from the other side rejoice, hug and dance around in celebration.
The models stage a very colorful gay wedding. (Youtube / Diesel)
The stylishly dressed youth (as expected for a Diesel advert) then stage an extremely colorful gay wedding, in which one of the highlights of the video appears – a rainbow-colored inflatable tank that the models carry into the set.
“It was (Lachapelle’s) idea to have the rainbow tank,” artistic director Nicola Formichetti explained to AdFreak blog “The tank is now a symbol of hope, a machine that used to divide now unites us!”
The rainbow-colored inflatable tank is one of the few highlights of the video. (Youtube / Diesel)
The video also features several transgender and gay models, such as Raja, a winner of U.S. reality TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race, transgender model Laith Ashley, and transgender beauty pageant winner Octavia Hamlett.
Lachapelle is famous for his distinctive and exuberant style, and has worked with celebrities such as Tupac Shakur, Madonna, Hillary Clinton, David Beckham, and many more. He had already worked together with Polunin on the “Take Me To Church” dance video, which was released in 2015 and immediately went viral on YouTube, with over 18 million views.
Polunin is seen smiling after he receives a flower back from the other side of the wall. (Youtube / Diesel)
The Ukrainian ballet dancer has received numerous awards, including Prix de Lausanne in 2006 and Young British Dancer of the Year in 2007.
Diesel’s Formichetti explained in a press release that the Diesel team has “a strong position against hate.”
“Love and togetherness is crucial in creating a society we all want to live in, and the future we all deserve,” he said.
Apart from the video, the campaign also includes several photographs.
