A weekend that introduced me to art, food and culture of Ukraine and Poland. It also taught me some valuable lessons on preserving heritage and legacies of your native country

It was on a sunny spring morning that I drove to see an exhibition showing reproductions of paintings by celebrated Ukrainian artist Maria Prymachenko at Alma Bakery & Café in Noida. Like the entire world, I had been following the developments of the Russia-Ukraine war since February 24, 2022, and the global responses. As a curious journalist in search of a story, I did not forgo the invite. But it became more than a story that I wanted to write for a media organisation. It became an overwhelming experience to hear narratives of heartbreak and see a living example of ‘love thy neighbour’.

The green café was buzzing with Ukrainian and Polish expats and their families, learning Ukrainian folk art by Olga Syrovatko and enjoying a specially curated platter with dishes from both countries. The weekend art & culture event, promoted by the owner Bogusia Sipiora Dhingra, was in association with Polish Institute New Delhi and Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of India. A Polish national, Bogusia is married to an Indian, Gaurav Dhingra, and the couple promote a green life, sustainable living and Polish art and culture with regular workshops and events at their cafe.

The Art

As I waited for Olga to finish her class, I gazed at the 11 colourful reproductions of Maria Prymachenko (1908-1997) that were exhibited at the café. A self-taught artist, born in rural Ukraine, Prymachenko’s works remain at the heart of Ukraine’s national identity. And 25 years after her demise, she has  become a global icon of peace.

Much like Madhubani and other folk arts of India, the artist had depicted Nature and her rural surroundings. The brightly coloured works did not know the turmoil that Ukraine is facing. The winged horse, the lion, and other floral motifs, painted in bright colours, showed me a country that was joyful. There was no trace of the artist’s physical disability in her childhood. No wonder then, in 1936, the great Pablo Picasso said, “I bow down before the artistic miracle of this brilliant Ukrainian.”

Art and creativity have a long life, they resonate with those who love growth and progress. And probably this is why arts, culture and cuisine have united people from diverse lands.  Little wonder then Ukrainians are diligently preserving their heritage and culture amidst the ongoing war with Russia.

Long before the escalation of events, the murmurs start. Most of the times, the murmurs never escalate into cries, and die a natural death. However, in the case of Ukraine, the murmurs did not die. “The older generation, especially my parents’ generation, did not believe Russia would attack Ukraine. But my heart was restless during the years preceding the war. I have been studying history for the last five years and I analysed the changes Russia was making,” says Olga. “I came to India in 2015 and was living in Pune. Then, I went back to Ukraine and now it’s been a year and I am in India again with my husband and son. We run a garments’ business out of Gurugram.” She trained in the arts in Ukraine and was working as an artist in her native country. However, she keeps her passion alive by working as a designer in her husband’s factory. When approached by the embassy for this weekend class, she was thrilled.

“Ukrainian Native Folk Art is called Petrykivka. Teaching people about this art is my way of preserving the legacy. Ukrainians are keeping their heritage alive whichever part of the world they are in now. An art collector has donated millions to the Ukrainian military to support the country,” she adds. Olga has also been studying Indian classical music for the last 15 years and loves diverse cultures and their beauty.

For the younger generation, the sentiments regarding Russia are different from those who lived through the Soviet era. “Our language, art, cultural values are very different from Russia. During the Soviet era, there was a lot of merging, despite that each country within the Soviet Union kept its identity alive,” she says. The storm has displaced millions of Ukrainians to different parts of the world.

“When the war started, I made arrangements for my parents to stay with friends in Austria. It’s been a year and now they want to go back to their home in Kyiv,” she says. “Even though all the buildings near their home in Kyiv have been destroyed, they insist on going back.” It isn’t an easy decision, considering the fear and the chaos.

“Sometimes my friends back home are happy and at times despondent. The conflict has taken a toll on their mental health,” shares Olga. “To go to Ukraine, I have to fly to a neighbouring country and then use the road or railways to reach Kyiv. The airspace is closed.”

Maria Prymachenko

An exhibition of her reproductions was held at the India International Centre, Delhi, in August 2022. But I had not seen that. Around those months, Russia had bombed the museum housing her paintings in her native region of Ivankiv, northwest of the capital Kyiv. Not just Ukraine, the global art community, had been outraged as well. They had come together to voice concerns on preserving her 3,000 paintings. Around 600 of her paintings are kept in the National Museum of Ukrainian Folk Decorative Art in Kyiv, and some are with private collectors as well.

Artists in the USA created street murals of Prymachenko’s celebrated painting, “A Dove Has Spread Her Wings and Asks for Peace” (1982), demonstrating the need to stop the war.

A self-taught painter (30 December 1908–18 August 1997). Maria Prymachenko drew inspiration from Nature and fairytales. She began her artistic life with embroidery and painting Easter eggs before painting flora and fauna on canvas. She is celebrated as part of the naive art movement.The government of Ukraine issued postage stamps of her works, and her portraits have been embedded in commemorative coins. UNESCO dedicated the year 2009 to her.  She was given the prestigious title of People’s Artist of Ukraine in 1970, the country was part of the Soviet Union at the time. Her work was exhibited in Europe many times.

The Platter

As participants coloured their sheets with red flowers and other rural motifs, others divulged in the specially curated platter. The menu was designed by Julia Danylenko and Bogusia. Julia is a Ukrainian pastry chef and baker living in India and runs her own bakery in Delhi-Gurugram. The two ladies kept the menu simple, bringing popular dishes from both the countries.

It comprised Barszcz Ukrainski (beetroot soup with beans and vegetables), Pierogi (crescent-shaped dumplings), Mlynci (thin and tender crepe stuffed with baby lamb mince meat with herbs and spices), Klops (minced meat loaf with boiled egg and served with cornichon). The sweetness was added with Medovyk (a multi-layered cake with thin honey layers and vanilla custard cream) and Sernik Krakowski (baked cheesecake with raisins).

Symbolising solidarity and neighbourhood friendliness, the platter was topped with colourful edible flowers—red and white for Poland and blue and yellow for Ukraine.

Paintings and platters, it could have been a Sunday in Poland or Ukraine, or so I imagined that’s what it was like for the expats.

The fairytales of Prymachenko seemed to belong to another world. I took another look at the bright peasant lady in ‘Glory of Ukraine’ before getting ready to drive home.

People are different, borders are difficult, but the spirit is the same. Most of us want to have happy and peaceful weekends, live joyfully on the planet like Prymachenko’s vibrant subjects. And we all want to build colourful, creative bridges. “People have enquired about art classes and I would like to hold more classes now. We want the world to see our heritage,” says Olga, as we bid goodbye.

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Monidipa Dutta.