ART FOR UKRAINE

This series of work emerged as a response to Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine in the spring of 2022. My research led me to the nightingale, the national bird of Ukraine, and to the white stork - an animal deeply appreciated in Ukrainian culture and folklore. April is the time of year when White Storks migrate into Ukraine. The white stork is an extremely beloved animal in Ukrainian folklore: it is always shown as a helper to humans. It is considered very good luck if they build a nest on your home, and a sign of prosperity if they nest in your village. So I was thinking about these creatures who exist outside of human news, and also thinking about them as symbols of luck and fortune and nesting and regrowing for the devastation and destruction in Ukraine. My aim was to make art as a love letter for the people of Ukraine - work that would feel like a message of healing and support, rather than a reiteration of the pain and suffering they were already experiencing.