Entwining a relationship of the diaspora of belonging and kinship with the land through Ukranian Folk Art.
Спородненість Kinship
These textile wool pieces are a continuous exploratory journey of colour, texture, and story. They tell tales of our connection to the river and valley, water and land, as well as all the beings who make it their home. Each tapestry builds upon спорідненість, meaning "kinship" in Ukrainian, exploring how our relationships can evolve.
My Ukrainian heritage and memory resonate deeply through a blend of traditional motifs, symbolism, and visual realism. These elements appear to me as I call upon my relations. My almost daily excursions into the river valley have made me feel at home, as though I am an extended part of its family.
Through this work, I aim to evoke the beauty, fragility, and diversity of the relationships I experience along the river. At the same time, I want to express my fears about the world’s current unrest, division, and disconnection from our natural environment and each other. These tapestries reflect the loss of biodiversity, the impacts of climate change, and the echoes of genocide—parallels that are deeply troubling to me.
I lose sleep over the thought that all could be lost. By imbuing these pieces with enchantments and amulets reminiscent of old Ukrainian traditions, I hope to draw attention to the importance of community, relations, stewardship, reciprocity, and reconciliation—with the land, the water, and one another.
Носій Сонце~Sun Bearer
Олень (deer) raises сонце (sun) from земля (ground) on his antlers and сонце brightens day.
Regeneration and rebirth, his панти (antlers) gifted to the land regrow. Decay, loss, and death are returned to the dark earth as the sun sets in the West.
Рослини (plants) medicine grow in ліс (forest) and along річка (river). Вода (water) sustaining and nurturing life. Дерева (tree) offering refuge, shelter, connecting sky to earth, tree of life.
Cherish these gifts of sun, water, and land for they hold story of where we come from, and many teachings to remind us of our relationship to our non human kin.