“My life has changed. Briefly about the situation: the terrorist country russia attacked my Ukraine with a war, inhumanly committing genocide of Ukrainians and destroying our lands. Now I was forced to flee from my usual life, from my home, taking only two backpacks with warm clothes. Surviving with stress explosions, sounds of sirens, jet planes. My soul yearns to go home to Kyiv. In other countries, I cannot find peace, shelter and work for myself, my health suffers greatly. I can't create dolls, because all my treasures-rare materials that I have been collecting for 8 years, remained in Kyiv. A drop of my soul that connects me with my native land is embroidery. I managed to take some threads with me, and in Ukraine, in Volyn region, the woman who gave me asylum gave me a piece of antique homespun fabric that her ancestors had made. This fabric, on which I embroider, gives me the strongest energy and faith that our Ukrainian culture and identity will never die and no russian occupier will be able to destroy or steal it. In the photo, my first embroidery in the new, wartime. I thought for a long time what kind of symbolic embroidery to make. And my sense told me. I embroidered something joyful, childish, 'naive art' using the Ukrainian embroidery technique 'колодочки'. Such a state of childish carelessness and happiness is now very lacking for all Ukrainians. Knowing about the war and the horrors that russia is doing (and not only the military, but also the active or tacit consent of many citizens of the russia who are also guilty of this war) - you still want to look for beauty and cheerfulness in yourself and the world around. I will continue to popularize Ukrainian culture. I will fight for my home, country and life by any means.”
- written by Motanka Dolls in Prague, Czech Republic
March 2022
