Antonina Afanasiieva: My Blossom

Hi, my name is Antonina.

I was born in Prague, but later my family moved to Lviv, where I lived all my life, traveling around the cities of Ukraine.
While studying at the university, I became interested in art, got acquainted with Lviv’s artistic community, took part in various performances and exhibitions. After the shelling of the Yavoriv proving ground close to our home, my daughter and I no longer felt safe, so we took our cat and fled. This is how we got to Germany.

This work is about my child. I see the future of Ukraine in her, which is young and flourishing. However, it must be nurtured and cared for. In this photo, my daughter Oleksandra is wearing our family relic – an embroidered shirt called “vyshyvanka” – which is about 100 years old, and a traditional Ukrainian wreath.