Window of Hope

At the onset of the war in Ukraine, Olesya Dzhurayeva who is married and has two daughters, fled Kyiv with great haste, to avoid the risk of being caught up in Russian aggression. Because her husband, who like all fighting-age men is not allowed to leave Ukraine, she and her family settled for a few weeks in a rural area away from the fighting. Confronted with idleness at this time of fear and despair, the artist turned to printmaking for solace.

Unable to turn to her usual tools, Dzhuraeva made do with what she could find: crude planks of wood; a chisel, a hammer, and flathead screwdriver for carving; a spoon and soil for printing. These rudimentary instruments forced her to greatly adapt her technique and esthetic. The 6 images of hope and despair that came out of her hands at that time are poignant visual translations of an artist’s response to the madness of war.

The soil prints, which are extremely fragile, were made into printmaking inks by Corvinus Presse, Berlin this past summer and fall. This is the portfolio that resulted from it. 

Link to the product page, to see all images in the portfolio, and purchase it, if you are so inclined.
Link to a pdf showing each page of the portfolio, including Olesya's thoughts as she was creating these prints.