Life Force

The war began for me with a message at 4:30 in the morning from Luda, a seamstress from a border region in Ukraine: "They are bombing us."

From that first morning, I started the blog "Voices from Ukraine," where I shared the experiences of five women from there. My personal journey towards creating this piece of art, "Life Force (indestructible)," also began at that moment. Around the third day of the war, sitting with my knees drawn up on the couch, I realized: after the bombs, grass will still grow.

Destruction is both nonexistent and futile. The will to live in this world cannot be destroyed: "You cannot fight against the strength of life." This applies to both the destroyed nature and the desire to annihilate a people. No bomb can reach as deep as the roots go.

For months, we were inactive. They, the women, because they were surrounded, under bombardment, and in shelters. I, because each day was filled with aid and shock. After months of self-reflection and drawing, "The Life Force" emerged from within. This artwork is more than just a painting; it is a message of hope and resilience.
For Luda, who sewed it, this canvas became extraordinarily significant. Even when there was no electricity due to the bombings, she continued to sew by hand. She fully identified herself with the sorrow and inner strength of the woman in the painting. She says: "She is us." She fell on the sketch when she learned her husband and son had been sent to the front in Bakhmut, the hottest spot in Ukraine. She sewed the canvas when she learned that her son, Myroslav, had died. She also hopes the canvas will continue to tell the story of what is happening in Ukraine.

This canvas travels to places where Ukrainians are temporarily located, hoping to remind them of their strength.
I also speak about the blog and the women from the blog. Thus, it travels with me. You could call it a traveling source of strength.

This is an explosion in the darkness. The faded life forms within the explosion represent Ukrainian flora, symbolizing what is "lost" in the blast. Through the depth of the roots, I show how deeply our roots lie within us, nourished by the power of light: Light, Strength.
You might also see a woman with a traditional Ukrainian wreath. In that case, she represents Ukrainian fury and resilience.

The flying birds become eyes. I noticed that after the first bomb strike in a city or village, birds are always the first to flee. But you might also see it as if my own head has "exploded."

Storks

Among everything happening, the fate of the storks troubled me. Every year, storks return to Ukraine. Storks are very loyal both to each other and to their nests. Thus, the stork is a Ukrainian symbol of fidelity and family happiness.

A stork's nest on your house is a blessing. Together with Ukraine, they now share a similar fate.
Due to numerous bombings, many nests have been disturbed or destroyed, and a new phenomenon has emerged — wandering, lonely storks without nests and without partners. They walk and walk, across fields, along roads.

Foundations

The storks are perched on ancient foundations. This represents the history of Ukraine, which traces its roots back to pre-Christian times. These very strong, old foundations, older than the history of the Russian Empire, stand in opposition to putin's claims, such as "Ukraine is a non-existent country" or "It is simply Little Russia ( Malorussia )."

Sun and Moon

Above the storks shines the moon, depicted as it appears on ancient Slavic amulets, representing the feminine principle according to ancient beliefs about nature.
In contrast, the sun, the masculine principle, appears on the other side in the form of a sunflower. Next to the sun stands Perun — the ancient supreme god of war and struggle, among other things. Ancient Slavic beliefs are based on duality; opposing forces. One is needed for the other, like yin and yang. Perhaps, even now, this is the case. To protect the vulnerable, it is sometimes necessary to fight.

I hope that, over time, the feminine, gentle side can once again care for the masculine, and the healing process can begin.

Sunrise

Amid all the darkness, I wanted to depict the sunrise, a sign of hope, because truly: "The darkest hour is just before dawn." This saying means that the hardest time comes right before things get better.

The colors of the sunrise were "transformed" and turned into ribbons, as in a traditional floral wreath.
The style in which the ribbons are painted pays homage to the significant and bold artist Liubov Panchenko. This brave and important artist passed away at the age of 86 in a bunker during the occupation of Bucha.

Headband

The headband is hand-embroidered with Ukrainian folk elements in mourning colors.