Roxolana Dudka
Roxolana Dudka is a Ukrainian artist who works with painting, sculpture and ceramics, art in public space, XR, participatory practices. Her works are kept in the collection of the National Center of Folk Culture “Ivan Honchar Museum” (Kyiv), the National Museum of Ukrainian Folk Decorative Art (Kyiv), the Center of International Cultures “Family” (Klaipeda, Lithuania), as well as in private collections in Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, America, Australia, North Macedonia, France, China, Germany and South Korea.
Despite all the opportunities that have opened up for Ukrainian artists today, Roxolana stayed at home to defend the country on the cultural front: “Oh, what a career a young artist from Ukraine could build now … residences, scholarships, grants, the whole worldis ready to provide exhibition spaces and all the resources needed… (I hope such “mood” won`t vanish).
But there is “now”, there is a war, there is me and dozens of different issues every day, problems / tasks that need to be solved … Therefore, I am in Ukraine, I stay with my family, with new friends and acquaintances that are nearby. We are all volunteers now.”
From the very beginning of the war, the artist undertook an art project, which now can be seen on the streets of Poltava: “As an artist, I wanted to createan art project with motivating posters for my Poltava city back in the first week of russia’s full-scale invasion to the territory of Ukraine, during the war that is now in its eighth year. I have long chosen art as a way of my own reflection on the challenges of the present and my inner states. The introduction of martial law confused my gut like nothing before – I had to “speak out”!
Local printing companies and entrepreneurs who provided advertising services immediately supported me – 38 city lights were printed and located throughout Poltava. The main feature of this project is the absence of the signature of the author of the quote! This is done with the aim of encouraging people to self-search, self-identification (including ethnic). In fact, it is important to “google”, learn the history of a phrase, quote or slogan, read the verses familiar from childhood in a completely different context, in a completely new time. Also, important! City lights and banners do not have my name because this project is not about me. This is about each of us who stayed in Ukraine and volunteers / lives / hides / survives / risks their life / fights / helps / rescues and fights, who was forced to go abroad / another city / another place, who lives abroad and who supports Ukraine and Ukrainians during a time of incredible pain and fantastic unity!
I also donated several of my works to various NFT platforms, all the income from the sale will go to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine. I created a series of stickers (in a team with other artists from Poltava), which are available in many cafes in Poltava (during the first 2 weeks of sale our stickers have collected 37 thousand hryvnias. They were spent on tailoring vests, bags for first-aid kits, shoes and others necessary things for our military personnel). A lot happens every day, but I try not to forget that I am an artist, I also get in touch with my students, I try to support them (because it is simply impossible to conduct classes in such conditions). Life goes on and each of us is now a creator of history. I definitely believe in our victory. Everything will be Ukraine!”
Interviewed by Yevgeniya Tsatsenko