Folk art is where Ukraine’s culture and art intersect. It is a reflection of our worldview, our psychology, our aesthetic and ethical attitudes. Folk art encompasses all types of creativity: music, dance, folklore, decorative and applied art. Those disciplines develop and evolve as an interconnected system, and they are woven into everyday life for Ukrainians, often reflecting world’s natural beauty.
Rooted deeply in love of nature and the cosmos, reaching back to ancient cultures dating 4300-4000 BCE, Ukrainian creativity is as unique as it is vast. Ukrainian arts are seeped in symbolism and intention: we embroider protective symbols on our clothing, we adorn our homes with ornamental painting for well-being, and create textile and fiber objects to serve as talismans. Everything from folklore to pottery, dance to woodcarving, paper cutting to poetry carries a powerful and sacred message through history.
The cruel war our neighbors subjected us to took thousands of Ukrainian lives and displaced millions. It also destroyed and continues to destroy many priceless artifacts of Ukrainian artistic history. The surviving Ukrainians, young and old, will be unable to maintain their artistic practices for an undetermined amount of time, focused only on survival. War aims to erase us together with our expression.
Art of Ukraine was born out of our passionate desire to both honor and protect Ukrainian traditional art. It is our mission to ensure that no matter what happens to this brave country in the coming decades, the world hears Ukraine’s fascinating tale – through its art.