Pysanky
Icons of My Universe
In my solo exhibition Icons of my Universe: Self Portraits in Pysanky, I showcased works that juxtaposed a more modern view of womanhood with the traditional Ukrainian symbols I encountered. Many of those traditional symbols link femininity with purity, virtue and fertility, while symbols of strength, victory and leadership were coded as male. My modern symbols are primarily rooted in nature, like their traditional counterparts, and I created my own feminine icons of strength, danger and sexuality by depicting more aggressive and sexually dangerous animals, primarily the praying mantis. I also included emojis, modern pop-culture icons.
Life and Death (2018)
Dye on chicken egg
Life and Death (2018)
Life and Death (2018) is a Ukrainian painted egg created using home-made dyes. I created the work as a way to explore making pysanky with more environmentally conscious material. The traditional Ukrainian symbols of a chicken and sunflowers symbolise life while my own mantis and maggot symbols serve as a memento mori. My use of ephemeral homemade dyes from food that would easily decompose, ensured that each part of the work exists within the cycle of life and death.
I came here to prey. (2018)
Dye on chicken eggs
I came here to prey.
Three eggs created during a performance piece of the same title performed at Nuit Rose in Toronto in 2018.