Iryna Danylevska: «Prosthetics on the catwalk - not a fashion trend, but our new reality. And we are ready to live like this»

Poland has submitted a film about Ukrainians, featuring Ukrainian actors, for the Oscars. The drama «Under the Volcano» by Polish director Damian Kocur explores the transformation of a family from tourists to refugees, due to the full-scale invasion. In this film, which premiered in September at the Toronto International Film Festival, Roman Lutskyi, a well-known actor for Polish audiences, starred. He is known for notable theatrical performances, such as «Hamlet» and «Forefathers' Eve (Dziady)» by Maja Kleczewska. Globally, he gained recognition through his lead role in «Reflection», the first Ukrainian film showcased at the Venice Film Festival. Lutskyi has walked the red carpet at this festival twice, and now, he has an Oscar submission.

«This is my third film about war without combat scenes»

- Damian Kocur once said that we Ukrainians live under a volcano that could erupt at any moment, - said Roman Lutskyi to Sestry. - Under the volcano refers to a neighbouring country, armed to the teeth. In 2014, this «volcano» awakened, and in 2022, it indeed erupted…

- Since «Reflection», you have become a serious dramatic actor. Sometimes, I do not recognise where that cheerful Oleshko Popovich from «The Stronghold» has gone. Your gaze especially has changed. You have also done a drama, «Honeymoon», about a couple's life under occupation, followed by «Under the Volcano» - and everywhere there is war.

- If you have noticed, «Under the Volcano» is already my third war film without combat scenes. People understand what war is like on the front line. But the war within Ukrainian families - Europeans do not see that.

With the onset of the great war, every family had to choose - to stay or to leave. This choice gave birth to numerous conflicts. Even in my family, we argued, deciding what to do next. War provokes micro-wars - within small family universes. It is not just about the combat scenes shown on television.

- And it is precisely about such a war that you tell in each of your films. You are not running on screen with a gun, but you reveal to the world the internal drama Ukrainians go through.

- Yes, this is not action, it is subtler, and that is interesting for me as an actor. 

«The director did not want to cast me because of my… «actorly» beard»

- Tell us, how did you end up in the film «Under the Volcano» and why director Damian Kocur chose you for the leading male role?

- Oh, it was quite a story. Kocur, a Polish director, is not very familiar with the Ukrainian acting market, so he asked the casting director to gather a list of Ukrainian actors for him. I was on the list, but the director initially dismissed me. As I later learned, Damian said that Roman Lutskyi was too handsome, with that overly actorly beard, and he wanted regular, ordinary people.

I was unaware of this until a friend asked me to help her record a self-tape, also for Kocur - just to stand behind the camera and argue with her on screen, and we did it. Damian saw the footage and asked who was that person behind the camera arguing so convincingly - saying he wanted the guy behind the camera. I was invited for an interview, and based on that, I was cast in one of the main roles.

- Why did Poland choose to submit the film «Under the Volcano» for the Oscars? It is not about Poles, it is about Ukrainians, and Ukrainians perform in it.

- Perhaps they saw that this particular film is competitive on the international stage and could resonate more strongly than local stories in the context of current events.

It also advocates for Ukraine. We often hear that people are tired of Ukrainians and their war, but it turns out that not everyone feels that way. The world needs to be constantly reminded of this war, and we are grateful to Poland for doing that.

There is only one question: whom should Ukrainians root for at the Oscars now - the Ukrainian film «La Palisade» or the Polish «Under the Volcano»?

In general, this film is for export. We have lived through all of this and understand very well who the enemy is. Meanwhile, the world has not fully grasped the danger of this war. Some still doubt, trying to advocate for the enemy. It is a dangerous game - to wait and not take notice, thinking that Ukraine will protect everyone. The volcano’s effects could be felt by all.

- Your first film about war was «Reflection», before that, you had not acted in such films. Director Valentyn Vasyanovych plunged you into the horrors of war at its very beginning - in 2014. Captivity, torture, PTSD... How difficult was it to act in such a film?

- As an actor, it was an intriguing challenge. It was crucial that Valentyn Vasyanovych, a deep-thinking director, made this film. The subjects of Ukrainian captivity and PTSD are weighty, and it was important to depict them correctly without exaggeration.

Viewers may have felt uncomfortable watching this film, but we know that the tortures shown in the film are experiences that Ukrainians endure in real life. Since 2014, the «Isolation» prison in the DPR territory has been a terrifying place where our people have been tortured in various ways. The worst part was that the captives did not know if they would ever be released.

I played a military surgeon who ended up in this prison. Immersed in the filming process, I lived alone in an apartment and hardly went out. At that time, I watched many videos on the subject and read numerous books. I tried to come close to that heavy and unpleasant state and to remain in it. To avoid «jumping» into it only when in front of the camera and then coming out after the director called «cut».

- Great actors, before playing a role, observe people similar to the characters they will portray. How do you prepare for roles - for instance, when playing a person with PTSD after captivity?

- I spoke at length with psychiatrists and with nurses in rehabilitation clinics.

Doctors told me how people walk after captivity - not straight, but curling up into a sort of «question mark», barely lifting their eyes from the ground

I used this technical detail about a captive’s physiology.

The film’s consultant, Stanislav Aseyev - a journalist and author of the book «The Bright Path. The Story of One Concentration Camp» - told me many things. He was a prisoner in the DPR’s «Isolation» concentration camp for 28 months and described in his book the horrors inflicted on captives there. For example, Aseyev explained in detail what a person feels when subjected to electric shock - I reproduced this in the scene where my character is tortured in this way. He described how the current passes through, which muscles contract, and whether it is possible to scream when the current goes from the ear to the hand, causing spasms in the vocal cords.

- These are very frightening things, but Vasyanovych managed to turn this material into a work of art.

- Yes, everything in Valentyn’s work is very meticulous, dry and without excessive drama. If you noticed, there is no music in «Reflection» because it would only intensify an already terrifying picture.

- You attended the screening of «Reflection» in Venice. How did the European audience respond to the film?

- After the screening, there was prolonged applause. People said that we managed to convey the filth of war through artistic means. This story moved viewers, many people cried. I would add that this film should be watched on a big screen because viewing it on a phone or even a computer does not convey the full range of emotions.

«I learnt Polish from TV by ear»

- Whom would you refuse to portray in films today? Perhaps an evil muscovite?

- Listen, but who should play Muscovites? Should we invite actual Muscovites or what? Many Ukrainian actors are fluent in Russian.

This is a reality because we are a post-colonial country. Just as Lebanese people speak French fluently, or Indians speak English. One actor or another will play a Muscovite. We do not always play likeable characters, that is our lot as actors.

Personally, I do not refuse roles, but I do refuse certain material. If it is superficial or vulgar, flat, and uninteresting, then definitely no. But if the material is deep and relevant, then I would take it on, even if I had to play a villain. The structure of dialogues also matters to me.

- So you would play the role?

- No, because I do not speak Russian. I can talk, but I would have an accent, like representatives of Caucasian ethnic groups.

- Judging by your career, there seems to be a mutual affection between you and Poland. It all started with «Hamlet» in Poznan (2019), where you were invited for the lead role by the iconic Polish director Maja Kleczewska. How did this happen?

- Maja has been following Ukraine since 2013. Initially, she was concerned that our young people were dying on the Maidan, and then in the ATO. When she decided to stage her «Hamlet» at the Polish Theatre in Poznan, she thought it would be interesting if the main character returned not to Danish Elsinore from Wittenberg, but to Poland from Ukraine.

She searched a long time for the lead actor. I missed the initial audition dates, so I simply wrote to the director afterwards, and she arranged a meeting in Warsaw. After the premiere, Maja told me that I was the only one who gave her a satisfactory answer to the question of who Hamlet was.

I told her then that I understood Hamlet - he came to reclaim power because it was unjustly taken, and that is that. It is human, and there is no need to make a philosopher out of him

I also said that we should remember that in Shakespeare’s time, people came to watch this play because it was action-packed - there are so many corpses in the end. So there is no need to seek superhuman qualities or lofty ideals in Hamlet. Certainly, he is of a delicate soul, but above all, he is a human being. Maja and I discussed this for about four hours, she understood my stance on the character. And I was cast in the role.

- And, judging by the success of Kleczewska’s «Hamlet», Poles accepted you?

- I had long wanted to enter the Polish acting market. Especially since I know Polish - though not intentionally, I learnt it as a child. I can almost perfectly understand it by ear and communicate fairly well.

- How did you learn Polish?

- When I was in the sixth grade, the only TV channels we had in our village were UT-1 and UT-2. In some towns, people could watch other channels, but we only had these, broadcasting from morning till night about how much grain Ukraine had harvested. My father bought a satellite dish from abroad, and I started watching Polish TV - specifically, the channels Polsat and Polsat-2, which featured comedy series like «13 posterunek», «The Kiepski World» («Świat według Kiepskich»), and various sitcoms… It was all so colourful, with interesting storylines.

I became hooked on Polish television and learnt Polish by listening. Later, while working in theatre, I began reading books in Polish and occasionally speaking with native speakers. Right before «Hamlet», the theatre hired me a pronunciation tutor.

- After «Hamlet», Maja Kleczewska staged a production of «Forefathers' Eve» by Adam Mickiewicz at the Ivano-Frankivsk Drama Theatre, and it was reportedly «tailored for you».

- Maja is totally my director. Our collaboration in Poznan was so inspiring for both of us that after «Hamlet», we immediately began planning future projects.

We searched for material for a long time, Maja wanted to work on a piece of Ukrainian literature, and we even discussed «Macbeth». Then the full-scale invasion happened, and Kleczewska decided she would stage «Forefathers' Eve» because, in her view, there is no other anti-Russian dramatic work quite like it in Polish literature.

We chose the third part of this poetic drama, where Mickiewicz describes Polish-Russian relations that very much resonate with what Ukraine is experiencing now in its relations with Russia. Nothing new - this is a universal story for both Poland and Ukraine, as it is fundamentally about a person’s freedom being threatened by a powerful adversary.

- In «Forefathers' Eve», you once again play a prisoner. Well, you play the proud poet Konrad, but the audience perceives you as an Azovstal defender.

- While we were working on the play, we did not even think about captivity. I was very moved when audiences started interpreting the characters on stage as defenders from Azov. After the premiere, a friend told me that when my character Konrad emerged from an imaginary basement or prison for the grand improvisation, she saw it as if an Azov commander was coming out of the trench straight into enemy fire.

People interpret things in various ways. And that is fantastic because it means the work is multi-layered and rich in meaning. That is precisely what should happen with works of talent.

- You have already walked the red carpet in Venice twice. Now you could win an Oscar - why not? Americans already know you, a critic from The Hollywood Reporter once praised your performance in «Reflection». How do you feel about fame?

- I have no problem with people paying attention to my work and praising it.

Yes, I read about myself in The Hollywood Reporter and Variety - positive reviews inspire and motivate. And humility does not lead to anything good (smiles).

As for the Oscar - one should always hope, but simply being nominated is already a huge success.

Photographs from a private archive

One of the most successful wartime art projects in Ukraine is the retrospective exhibition «Alla Horska. Boryviter», held this year at the Ukrainian House and attended by a record number of visitors. The exhibition, whose impact on Ukrainian society has been described as a «national catharsis», was curated by artist and art historian Olena Grozovska. Sestry spoke with Olena about the state of the Ukrainian art market in wartime, the phenomenon of the Alla Horska exhibition and Russian global cultural expansion, which should be perceived as a special operation.

«The tragedy of Bykivnia echoes what is happening now in the de-occupied territories»

Oksana Goncharuk: Why do you think the Alla Horska exhibition became a sensation in Ukraine? She is not Van Gogh, whose name alone would attract so many people…

Olena Grozovska: We have been working on Alla Horska for years, studying her work and creating an archive of Ukrainian unofficial art, called Ukrainian Unofficial. It focuses on the profiles of artists from Kyiv and Lviv who went beyond the confines of the socialist realist canon. Alla Horska is one of the stars of this art.

This was not just an exhibition but a kind of research project. Everything came together: our previous work, the collaboration between the Dukat auction house and the strong team at the Ukrainian House. The complex space of the building was cleverly utilised. It resulted in a story rich in meanings: in addition to visual material, there was historical context. People are now eager, they seek answers to their questions in the past.

People resonated with the story of Horska’s persecution and murder, as well as the destruction of her mosaics in Mariupol by Russian occupiers. All of this struck a nerve and resonated. In the end, approximately 51 thousand people visited the exhibition over one and a half months - a record for the Ukrainian House

- You mentioned that it was like a national catharsis...

- Yes, especially in the last days, when people realised they needed to hurry, and crowds flocked to the exhibition. I saw so many tears in the eyes of those leaving the Bykivnia Hall… You know, we did not aim to frighten or move anyone, but it worked that way because people internalised everything. The past is also linked to the present, and the tragedy of Bykivnia resonates with what is happening now in the de-occupied territories, with mass graves of Ukrainians murdered and tortured by Russian occupiers.

And when people understand that the evil of the 1930s remains unpunished, that it has resurfaced and returned, there is a shock. This continuity feels like a connection between one person’s biography and the broader historical canvas

The success of the exhibition is gratifying, but it is also a challenge, as each subsequent event must be on par. We are now working on a new project, which we hope will take place next year - also at the Ukrainian House. We will showcase several of our unofficial artists who worked after World War II.

«Right now, we simply need major exhibitions at the world’s top venues to make our presence known»

- At the start of the war, the director of the Hermitage said that exhibitions of Russian art are also a special operation and a «major cultural offensive». Is it happening worldwide now?

- As long as Russia exists, this special operation will continue. But perhaps for the first time, its mechanisms have come to light - things we felt but did not fully comprehend can now be examined.

In the West, people do not see them because this does not directly affect their culture. We are the nearest victim, and this monster is built on the theft of our culture and identity.

For Russians, it is important to continue destroying us because our history and culture have been appropriated, and only by erasing the witness to these crimes can they continue promoting their so-called «great Russian culture»

Unfortunately, there are few platforms from which we can speak about this, but it is essential to do so, as this phenomenon has reached colossal proportions over the last 15-20 years.

- Do you monitor these processes?

- Yes. Russian global cultural expansion is unprecedented, and it is a deliberate policy. The enormous number of Russian exhibitions held at the world's finest museums was intended to showcase the greatness of their culture. I have published articles on what we could counterpose to Russia, but they have proven insufficient.

In 2018, St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican hosted a grand exhibition «The Russian Way: From Dionysius to Malevich», curated by the renowned Russian art historian Arkady Ippolitov. There was a report showing Putin with the Pope kissing icons at the exhibition. At that time, Crimea was already annexed, the war in Ukraine was ongoing, and the Russians wanted to portray themselves as simply «reviving and reclaiming what rightfully belongs to them».

The exhibition featured works by Malevich and Kramskoy - that is, Ukrainians appropriated by Russia! Today, we ask why the Pope articulates entirely pro-Russian imperial views. It is because this work has been ongoing for years, even centuries. We are now trying to change this situation in emergency mode. But to change it, we at least need to understand how the art institution system in the West operates, what narratives to bring, and how to tell our story. Russia has long studied this and uses it for its hybrid influence.

Now, they are less successful because it is challenging to kill people with one hand while showcasing «masterpieces of great Russian culture» with the other. That is why I am practically shouting that we urgently need major exhibitions that tell the world about us from the world’s best platforms.

- Can you give examples of Ukraine’s collaboration with international art institutions during the war?

- For example, the National Art Museum is touring its exhibition of Ukrainian modernist art worldwide. But there needs to be more of this.

We have been, and continue to be, robbed by the Russians, but we have something unique to show, as our art is original. The same Horska exhibition could be interesting in the West. Yes, it must be presented in different contexts there. But I cannot say that any official in Ukraine is interested in showcasing Alla Horska abroad.

- What should we do then? You recently spoke with Zelenskyy; perhaps you told him about the lack of a strategy for promoting Ukrainian culture...

- Yes, the President of Ukraine and his wife visited the Alla Horska exhibition. As the curator, I was pleased that the exhibition was appreciated at such a high level. But cultural strategies are not a matter for the President, that is what the Ministry of Culture is for. The President cannot handle everything in the country, as he has priority tasks. The real question is why state institutions are not working.

- Compared to the Russians, whose museums are filled to the brim with masterpieces stolen from Ukraine alone, will we have enough arguments to showcase our Ukrainian uniqueness?

- We cannot even come close to comparing the number of works of historical significance in Ukraine to what the Russians have. The empire extracted everything from the territories under its control. My God, how many of Ukraine's prime masterpieces are in their museums... For example, at the Tretyakov Gallery, the old art section opens with our St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki, stolen after the demolition of St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery. Nowhere does it mention that this is a Kyiv mosaic, taken to Moscow in the 1930s for three months of safekeeping. They were supposed to return this masterpiece to its homeland, but it remained in Moscow and is now presented as a «masterpiece of Russian art».

I am not even mentioning all the archaeology represented by thousands of artefacts in Russian museums. Moscow vacuumed up valuable items from Chernihiv and Kyiv regions. This needs to be discussed so that the West starts to see Russia as a colonial empire, which it somehow is not perceived as globally.

At the same time, we still have a wealth of unique art that deserves to be shown. Ukrainian icons are underexplored and yet to be discovered by the world. Our fantastic modernism - yes, few works have survived, but even the collection of the National Art Museum of Ukraine, currently touring abroad, elicits awe.

Because in the West, they did not know that Ukraine has its own national modernism of such calibre

We can also discuss post-war art, namely the late modernism of the 1960s-70s - these are also very unique philosophies. People behind the Iron Curtain created their own artistic worlds - unlike any other. And there is a demand for this.

- If you were talking to a foreigner and wanted to tell them about our art, where would you start to make an impression on someone «not in the know»?

- I would start based on who I am speaking to and the background of my interlocutor. To some, I would tell about how St. Sophia of Kyiv preserves the most complete ensemble of authentic mosaics and frescoes from the 11th century in the world. To others, about Ukrainian avant-garde, about Malevich, Exter and Bohomazov. About the powerful folk tradition, which in the 20th century blossomed into the phenomena of Mariya Prymachenko and Kateryna Bilokur. About Ukrainian Baroque. About Pinsel and Arkhypenko. And to some, I would tell about modern Ukrainian artists.

«We decided: if it came to it - we would shoot back»

- Did you leave Kyiv at the start of the war?

- No, my husband and I decided to stay, even though Kyiv emptied in the first weeks, and it was quite an eerie sight. We decided: if it came to it, we would shoot back, but under no circumstances would these monsters force us to leave, abandoning our land.

All of this is frightening, but on the other hand - it is interesting. This experience changes a person and provides a valuable sense of perspective that is unavailable in ordinary life. Plus, such events crystallise the understanding of who is who around you.

- I know that you and your husband - the well-known collector and gallery owner Leonid Komsky - have a substantial collection of Ukrainian art. What happened to it after February 24th?

- It is in a safe place. Most of the works are post-war and contemporary Ukrainian art, as well as works by 20th-century Ukrainian emigrant artists.

- Do you currently feel inspired to paint?

- I did not paint for the first year, but then I gradually began to thaw. Sometimes I sell my works at charity auctions, and this is my contribution to the boys on the front. We also raise funds for the Armed Forces of Ukraine through concerts (Olena is also the founder and lead singer of the band «GrozovSka band» - Author).

- Zhadan said that it is too early to write about the war, first, it must be experienced.

- I do not consider myself among those who knew the war was coming, as I thought people could not be so bloodthirsty and foolish. But already a few years before the full-scale invasion, terrifying and strange plots began to appear in my mind that I did not fully understand. Many of my works dealt with some horrors, dark subjects with heavy energy. Military themes began to emerge as well. So something was indeed ripening subconsciously, and I was picking up on these vibes.

- What is the mood among Ukrainian artists and in the art market right now?

- The art market has suffered greatly, and everyone is finding their own survival strategies. But the mood among everyone is this: despite everything, with gritted teeth, we work towards victory and do not succumb to despair. And that is important because these recent massive attacks on our cities are meant to make people lose heart, flee, give up, and ask for negotiations. But we do not.

At commercial Ukrainian auctions, prices for certain contemporary Ukrainian artists have risen and exceeded 100 thousand dollars

Ukrainians are now buying more Ukrainian art - it is a trend. People have less wealth, but there is a growing appreciation for the value of our artists and craftsmen.

The international art market, unfortunately, operates on different figures for now. Currently, there are no personalities in Ukraine who can be classified among the top international artists.

I’m Fine as a profile picture for Ukrainians

- Groundbreaking things are happening in the Ukrainian art scene today, but it is driven by individual enthusiasm, whereas there is no state strategy...

- There needs to be a deliberate policy, at least to ensure that what goes abroad to represent Ukraine does not devalue perceptions of it. Let’s be frank, sometimes things happen that are embarrassing. And there are breakthroughs, spot-on hits. This recently happened at the Burning Man festival in America, where Kyiv artist Oleksiy Sai presented his work I’m Fine in the Nevada Desert.

- Oh, I saw it. It is a huge sculpture made from war artefacts and is a perfect capture of the situation.

- Yes, it is a bitter irony, as the text is made from our road signs shot up by the Russians, but it is about each of us, about how we, Ukrainians, piece together this «I’m fine» within ourselves and try to survive and regenerate. And that is why there was such a sincere reaction, such a wow effect - people started using this I’m Fine as their profile pictures.

Today, it is not enough just to have a piece of art. We live in an era of storytelling - you need to tell your story, to reach the minds and hearts of the audience.

We have yet to tell the world our story: they know more or less about our present in terms of the war, but who we are, where we come from, why we were overshadowed by an empire, and the mechanisms of oppression and destruction applied to our culture - all this still needs to be voiced. Because the fact that we managed to survive under such conditions is a miracle. And it happened precisely because of our culture.

Olesia Trofymenko blends painting techniques with ancient Ukrainian embroidery. In March 2022, during the peak of the war, Dior approached Olesia to create decorations for their collection show. However, this collaboration went beyond simple set design. The world of high fashion sought to see and hear Ukraine in its unique, authentic form. The central theme of Dior's collection became the «Tree of Life» - a key element from traditional embroidered towels of the Chernihiv region.

The «Tree of Life» symbolises the triumph of light over darkness. In the first few days of Olesia Trofymenko’s exhibition at the Rodin Museum in Paris, more than 10 thousand visitors attended - an impressive turnout, according to Dior’s PR team, and a rare occurrence. Sestry spoke with Olesia about her collaboration with the globally renowned brand, how she reached European officials and millionaires, and the high-level artistry of Ukrainian embroidery.

Embroidered symbol of life’s victory over death captivated Dior's creative director

Yaryna Matviiv: Is it true that the news about collaborating with Dior caught you off guard while you were in the garden?

Olesia Trofymenko: That is exactly what happened. In some ways, I was lucky because, during the invasion, I was far from Kyiv, in a village. But emotionally, it was very difficult - panic attacks would not leave me alone. On the fourth day of the war, I went out to plant a garden. It was my psychological protest against death and all the horrors Russia was causing. It was my personal war to claim the right to plant flowers and gardens on my land, in defiance of the machinery of death.

By the way, in Kyiv, it is quite noticeable: flowerbeds, which were usually overrun with weeds, are now planted with flowers. When I spoke with my neighbours, they had the same impulse - to urgently fill this wounded earth with beauty.

It was during this time that I received a call from the curator of an exhibition we had done back in 2014. At that time, Benetton held an annual exhibition inviting a hundred artists from different countries to paint on 10/15 centimetre canvases - challenging but interesting work. With the start of the full-scale invasion, it was decided to repeat this exhibition in Rome.

Back in 2014, I managed to embroider a fragment on that tiny canvas because I had just invented my painting-embroidery technique. Now, I was eager to explore this technique on a larger scale. My work caught the eye of Dior's creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri. She approached the curator about doing a joint exhibition with me. It was so unexpected!

I was standing in the garden and asked again on the phone: «Which Dior?»

The exhibition curator, Solomiya Savchuk, added that I would have 200 people working for me. I thought she meant 200 Ukrainian artists would help with the decorations. But no. «You will have 200 Indian embroiderers from Mumbai working for you», Solomiya said. In reality, there turned out to be twice as many.

It took 470 seamstresses three weeks (!) to embroider 32 of my works for Dior shows

Interestingly, this was the first Indian school where women were allowed to embroider and earn money from it (in India, traditionally, only men could earn money through embroidery). They beautifully embroidered my canvases in 3D.

- You researched Cossack embroidery from past centuries. These motifs became the face of Dior’s shows. But why did Dior turn to Ukrainian history and art?

- Well, first of all, when they approached me, it was the end of March 2022. The idea resonated because the Dior brand itself was founded after Christian Dior met his sister, who survived a Nazi concentration camp. In protest against the collapse of humanity, he established his high fashion house. It was a victory of aesthetics over destruction.

This is why it was important for them to collaborate with Ukrainian artisans (we had already witnessed Bucha and Irpin by then) - it was their political stance on the events in Ukraine. Full support.

Secondly, I use intricate embroidery techniques.

I try to showcase Ukrainian culture in a way that breaks free from the clichés that Russia has always used to present us to the world - baggy trousers and primitive embroidered shirts. In reality, Cossack embroidery is like a universe! Its aesthetic is comparable to that of Japan

For my Dior sketches, I also drew inspiration from the wedding wreaths of early 20th-century Galicia. These wreaths resemble crowns. However, the most prominent connection between me and Dior is the symbol of the Tree of Life. Dior latched onto this image. As Maria Grazia Chiuri told me, the Tree of Life is a collective symbol across all cultures. All ancient civilisations interpret it as a symbol of life’s triumph over death.

As a result, Maria Grazia completely changed the concept of her collection to incorporate this image. The «Tree of Life» became the leitmotif of the entire Dior show.

- After the Dior shows ended, did the embroidered canvases remain at the Rodin Museum?

- Yes, they hung there for a week, and museum visitors could view them. In just the first four days, 10 thousand people saw my work. The exhibition generated a lot of buzz. We spoke about Ukraine through the language of art.

Afterwards, the canvases became the property of the House of Dior.

- At the start of the war, France and Italy were still influenced by Russian propaganda. But Dior took a stand immediately?

- And that pleasantly surprised me. Maria Grazia’s first words when we met in Paris were: «Olesia, I want to tell you straight away that we are on your side, we do not believe Russian propaganda. We understand where the truth lies».

That was important because when you are abroad, it is hard to know who you can trust. Russian propaganda spends vast amounts of money to spread disinformation about the war in Ukraine.

Artists can be heard better than politicians

- A year ago, we held a screening of the film «Mariupol. Unlost Hope». Let me share the backstory: while I was creating sketches for Dior, our director Maks Lytvynov asked me to draw an illustration for a documentary about Mariupol. He filmed this right after the city was taken. In it, he interviewed women who had survived, and in the pauses between these heavy stories, I drew the city «before» and «after» the catastrophe.

This film was shown in various countries across Europe, and a French volunteer, Stéphane Delma, took an interest. He decided that more screenings should be held in France - on different public platforms.

That is how we ended up in Étretat, a tiny French commune famous for being painted by the Impressionists. The place is so popular that European millionaires have started buying houses there. It was important for us to share the stories of the women from Mariupol with this audience. However, the town’s mayor, who is over 90 years old, did not want to show the film. He said it was all politics and mentioned that he had studied Russian once. Then, things changed, just like in a movie…

The local community of active women insisted on screening the film, and after watching it, the mayor underwent a transformation. He became very sympathetic to us.

A lot of people came to the film screening, and afterwards, they asked us more detailed questions about the situation in Ukraine. Before this, the war had felt like a reality show on TV for many, but we gave them the chance to connect with the real-life experiences Ukrainians are living through. We then shared with them stories about missile attacks and how to hide from bombs and drones.

- So, does culture influence people more powerfully than media or news?

- People who create culture and art can indeed be heard better than politicians. It works.

- What makes Ukraine interesting to the global art community? Have you managed to separate the Ukrainian world from the Russian?

- Slowly, but yes. Many art historians are pushing global museums to change the attribution of works by artists who are Ukrainian, not Russian.

For Europe, we are intriguing because we have preserved a school of realist painting, but we have a different visual language and way of thinking.

We live in an age dominated by images, and we must show the world that we exist and what our culture truly represents. For too long, we were viewed as part of Russian culture, and that is partly our fault - we did not promote ourselves during peacetime. If we remain silent, we will continue to be overlooked.

Bomb explosions made from embroidered peonies

- What are you working on today?

- Right now, all my work is focused on the war in Ukraine. However, I try to address this topic metaphorically to reach a broader audience.

Otto Dix's famous paintings of World War II shocked people - the artists of that time showed the horrors of war with decomposing bodies on the streets. Since then, images of violence have become part of mainstream culture.

In contrast, I aim to «mask» these horrifying realities with beauty in my paintings. Currently, I am working on a series called «Substitution». I cover the wounds of soldiers with lilies and depict explosions using embroidered peonies. By using symbols of undeniable beauty, I hope to draw people in, to make them pause and look closer, and only then realise what the painting is truly about.

This is a uniquely Ukrainian ability - to process pain through beauty, aesthetics and harmony. After all, this is exactly what my neighbours do, creating stunning flower gardens in their courtyards between missile attacks

Our «Tree of Life» will grow through the minefields, taking deep roots of revival amid the ruins of Mariupol...

Photos from heroine’s private archive