In August 2020, women dressed in white clothes with flowers in their hands took to the streets of Belarus to protest against government violence and lies. The first action took place

spontaneously on the market square in Minsk. A strong, solid body of feminine energy formed. This event became a symbol of nonviolent resistance and was repeated weekly in different forms for the rest of the year. Thus, the flower became a symbol of confrontation.

The invocation of the cultural tradition of embroidery is a way for modern women to comment on the government agenda in Belarus today. Traditions that have inevitably disappeared from Belarusian culture include making homespun bedspreads and carpets, which practically died out with the gradual disappearance of the home loom. Still, the symbolism of weaving has been preserved.

The artist and a group of women act as bearers of the cultural code who maintain this symbolism in their group embroidery ritual.

The artist thanks for the help:

Sasha Dorskaya, Andrey Anro, Sviatlana Stankevich, Sierafimus, Darya Voranava, Dasha Zaichanka

Group exhibition: The Breath of a House is the Sound of Voices Within

Place: Berlin, Germany, Akademie der Künste / Hanseatenweg

Curated by Clara Herrmann and Tomke Braun

Date: 01.03.24 - 01.04.24

Photo: Andrey Anro