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Yaroslava Kellermann

Ukraine, Poland, Germany

"My works sometimes serve a dual purpose: communicating meaning whilst being visually pleasing as objects."

I was born in Ukraine. After the graduation in Slavic Philology (Kyiv, 2006) and Strategic Management (Warsaw-Viterbo, 2012) turned back to my vocation - jewelry design. Having begun with loomed necklaces gradually passed to resin (cold enamel) and vitreous (cloisonné) enamel (since 2015). Interested in art, Greek mythology and history.

 

I finally understood my grandmother’s reverence and respect for each and every breadcrumb, many years after the Iron Curtain had finally fallen in 1991 because some people started talking about Holodomor, the famine of 1932-1933. I discovered that my great-grandmother lost four children, through famine. The story of my family is not unique, it is as usual as multiple stories of almost each family from the Soviet-ruled part of Ukraine. Suffering, death, betrayal, even cannibalism had a significant impact on the identity of my countrymen. Psychological effects last for generations resulting in people being reluctant to use initiative, distrusting government, feeling uncertain about the future, conformity, fear of revealing one's self-identity to the others, inferiority and the emergence of Stockholm complex. It is not only a tragic history, it is Ukraine's present. The events of Holodomor demonstrate the dangerous influence of totalitarian authority on individuals, and the whole society in general; how the traumas are passed further and replicated in the future generations; how important is to weep and to heal the society exposed to this trauma and finally to step over it, discarding stereotypes, superstitions and prejudices. These significant events, which still resonate in our history are important in my take on life and help to shape my work.

 

I am enchanted by femininity and its evolution through the centuries. Many of my works showcase women of previous centuries, modern ones or fantastic creatures; all are beautiful in their diversity. I explore concepts through objects which have aesthetic value and which sometimes deal with difficult subjects. My works sometimes serve a dual purpose: communicating meaning whilst being visually pleasing as objects.

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