Gallery 2: Textile Art of Maryna Lukach
Art of Ukrainian Freedom
Maryna Lukach is an internationally renown textile artist who has created pieces honoring Ukrainian freedom, among others. Maryna describes her technique:
"In my artwork, I use mixed authoring techniques: textile collage, batik, felt, lace, and embroidery with beads, ribbons, ropes and stones, acrylic, painting, photo print, crochet, machine embroidery, hand embroidery, and fabric dyeing. I dye some fabrics by hand.
"My artworks are in private collections worldwide: Ukraine, the United States, England, Italy, Germany, Russia, UAE, Netherlands, Austria, Cyprus, and the Church Museum in Salt Lake City."
Maryna's professional and shop pages are below:
https://www.facebook.com/marynalukachart
https://www.etsy.com/shop/MarynaLukachUA
Gallery Pages: Lukach Gallery 1 - Lukach Gallery 2 - The Price of Freedom - Ukraine
Images are copyright by the artist (c) 2023. Used with permission.
"We are free... A nation of the unconquered."
"Ми вільні... Нація нескорених."
Maryna Lukach, 2022
"Christmas in Ukraine"
"Різдво в Україні."
Maryna Lukach, 2023
Size: 80x60 cm
Textile art in mixed media: textile collage, machine embroidery, hand embroidery, beads, appliqué."
"Ukrainian Code of Europe"
"Український код Європи"
Maryna Lukach, 2023
Size: 71x60 cm
Textile art in mixed media: textile collage, photo printing on fabric, machine embroidery, hand embroidery, beads, appliqué.
Artist's Description:
"The daughters of Yaroslav the Wise, the Grand Prince of Kyiv: Anastasia, Elizabeth, and Anna, became queens in Europe. The Ukrainian code of culture and traditions entered European countries through the descendants of Yaroslav the Wise.
ANASTASIA was a patron of the founding of Orthodox monasteries in Hungary. On the Tihany Peninsula at Lake Balaton, there is an old abbey founded by King Andrew the First in the middle of the 11th century. The king himself is buried in the church of this abbey. In front of the church, a monument was erected to the Hungarian king and princess Anastasia, daughter of the prince of Kievan Rus Yaroslav the Wise. Queen Anastasia played a great role in the organization of Christianity in Hungary in the distant times of paganism.
ELIZABETH - Queen of Norway, then Queen of Denmark. Went down in history as the most daring Viking queen. After the death of her husband, the King of Norway, she became Queen of Denmark.
ANNE is the Queen of France. In Ukraine, a facsimile reproduction of the text of the Slavonic Reims Gospel of Queen Anna Yaroslavovna of France, daughter of the Grand Prince of Kyiv Yaroslav the Wise, the oldest original relic of Ukrainian church literature, was published. It left the Kyiv princely scriptorium by the end of the fourth decade of the 11th century, preserved in the city library of the French city of Reims."
"Easter in Ukraine"
"Великдень в Україні"
Maryna Lukach, 2023
Size: 60x80 cm
Textile art in mixed media: textile collage, hand embroidery, machine embroidery, printing on fabric, , machine embroidery, hand embroidery, beads, acrylic.
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Artist's Description:
"For the Easter holiday in Ukraine, people prepare in advance.
Holy Thursday is a day dedicated to the love of Christ. Ukrainians complete all the preparations and cleaning of the house. In some regions of Ukraine, people wake up at 4 am to bathe in consecrated willow twigs, which have been kept since Palm Sunday. This holiday glorifies the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem and marks the beginning of the week before Easter. They do this because they believe water has sacred energy and healing properties. Pysanky [painted Easter eggs] are made late in the evening. This process is accompanied by reading prayers that filled each ornament with positive energy and meaning. By tradition, 'paska' [Ukrainian Easter bread] is baked on Thursday. When the paska is ready, Ukrainians begin to decorate it. Another unique tradition was the coloring of eggs. Since ancient times, painted eggs have been considered a symbol of the rebirth of life, nature, and the sun. Previously, eggs were painted using natural materials. They used homemade paints from the bark and fruits of trees, herbs, and flowers.
Then follows Good Friday - the strictest day of fasting in the annual circle of services. Good Friday is a solemn time that recalls the day of Christ's crucifixion. On Friday, people keep a strict fast, so they do not eat meat and dairy products. You can't work either.
On Saturday evening, the night service begins, at which Easter baskets are taken for consecration. Starting at midnight on Sunday, people go to the church service to listen to the bells and, of course, to bless the Easter basket. At the beginning of the ceremony, a candle is lit, which must be carried home so that the light does not go out.
Easter Sunday is traditionally celebrated with the whole family at a large table with Easter dishes. Family members usually have to share one Easter bread and an Easter egg. They believe this custom endows with 'good fate' - happiness, fortune, and talent for each family member. Big Sunday should be met with bright thoughts because this holiday symbolizes the purification of the soul and deliverance from sins. On this day, you can’t swear; all insults should be forgiven and forgotten. You should not work and do household chores.
Easter celebrations end with a visit to the graves of relatives. It is believed that on Easter, God opens heaven and hell so that the souls of deceased ancestors visit their relatives, and throughout the Easter week, they are on earth next to the living.
However, nowadays, Ukrainians are more open about other cultures and decorate their houses with nests, lambs, bunnies, or rabbits."