Embroidery is not just ordinary decoration; it is a reflection of contemporary values that are closely linked to our roots.

Recognizing the role of Ukrainian folk embroidery as part of the cultural identity of Ukrainians, in these difficult times we also consider it an important element of resilience, survival, and support, as well as effective art therapy for modern people. After all, it is well known that painstaking manual work allows us to feel control over what we can do with our own hands, develops and supports fine motor skills, and repetitive movements with a needle help to calm the mind, stabilize emotions, and achieve inner balance. “Each stitch while embroidering immerses us in a state of concentration, meditation, where thoughts become clear and anxiety recedes. This helps us to hold on to ourselves and support those around us,” says embroidery artist Nina Honcharuk, whose works are featured in the exhibition.

The master’s calling to this ancient craft arose in her childhood and grew into a self-sufficient creative endeavor. Everyone in her family was skilled in the craft: her great-grandfather made boots, and her uncle was a skilled blacksmith. Her father, who fought throughout the war and was imprisoned in Auschwitz, returned with his health ruined, but his spirit remained unbroken. He was constantly crafting something, making toys for his children, and was a very talented painter. Sewing and embroidery were traditionally done by women, who passed down the most typical patterns, colors, and embroidery techniques from generation to generation. For example, my grandmother, who came from the ancient Terletsky family, where young ladies were taught embroidery from childhood, wove cloth, towels, and rugs, and embroidered clothes she had sewn herself. My mother was a self-taught seamstress who sewed not only for her entire family, but also for friends and neighbors.

Nina Honcharuk mastered all possible embroidery techniques and methods, learning the art of lace embroidery from her mother. She began by cross-stitching towels, napkins, tablecloths, and blouses, and at the age of 12, she embroidered her first picture. She also decorated ready-made clothes for her family and friends. She did not always follow the pattern—she had an irresistible desire to bring something of her own to the technique, so she was constantly inventing something new in order not to repeat herself and to be original. In her work, she uses various stitches: stem, loop, rococo, nightingale eye, French knot, satin stitch, and many others. She created several miniature landscapes in multicolored embroidery, and then turned to large-format paintings. She mainly uses silk threads, as well as cotton and mouline threads. She works without sketches, but carries the image in her imagination for a long time.

After stretching the canvas on the frame, she does the embroidery in several layers, first making a kind of primer, and then embroidering each part of the future composition. In places where there are three-dimensional elements of the drawing, she makes a multi-layered covering with threads of a certain color, separating the constituent elements of the composition and achieving the effect of realism in the image. The effect of light and shadow is enhanced by strokes made with different types of threads in terms of color, structure, and composition. To enhance the effect, another layer of silk threads is added. Thus, the invented two-three-multi-layered embroidery creates the effects of color blending and relief. The result is “picturesque paintings” (according to Liudmyla Rozhko-Pavlenko).

The subjects chosen by the artist are always inspired by her surroundings. A new painting may appear after reading poetry (the author is fascinated by the works of Taras Shevchenko and Lina Kostenko), listening to a lyrical song, meeting someone new and interesting, or contemplating nature and its phenomena. Nina Honcharuk’s creative portfolio includes more than 350 works of various genres (the process of creating each one takes 2-9 months).

Flower and blossom motifs are reflected in still life and landscape genres. The artist is enamored with the work of Kateryna Bilokur, so hollyhocks, bright yellow marigolds, lush lilacs, lilies, daisies, asters, and sunflowers adorn the foreground of many works (“Lilacs on Gray Velvet,” “Rose Smile”). Flower bouquets, individual plants, tree crowns, and the blue sky—the enchanting beauty of spring and summer nature captivates with its inexhaustible diversity.

The fragrant fruits and ripe vegetables seem almost alive, tempting you to touch them, as the baskets are overflowing with bunches of grapes and apples—symbols of fertility, wisdom, and health (“Generous Autumn,” “Gifts of Podillia,” “Fragrant Apples”). The master embroiderer shapes each apple separately and attaches them to the canvas one by one.

The exhibition also features works from the following series:

• “Cultural Monuments of the Khmelnytskyi Region,” which take you on a journey through the Khmelnytskyi region: these include medieval fortresses that have witnessed many wars and battles (“Medzhybizh Fortress-Castle of the 14th-16th centuries, Medzhybizh,” “Kamianets-Podilskyi Fortress of the 14th century”), the defensive tower of the Dominican monastery (“Defensive Tower of the 16th century in Starokostiantyniv“), numerous churches in our city and region (”Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin, 15th century, Sutkivtsi village, Khmelnytskyi region,“ ”St. George’s Church, late 19th century, Khmelnytskyi,” etc.);

• “Shevchenko in embroidered canvases” (the series includes more than 100 works). “Kobzar” is the artist’s favorite book: inspired by Shevchenko’s words, the master created embroidered interpretations of the Kobzar’s poetic lines. A portrait of Taras Shevchenko is also on display, for which the artist chose scenes from the past and present as a backdrop, thus emphasizing the relevance of Shevchenko’s words today. Her concern for everything that is happening around her prompted her to create works on the theme of Ukrainians’ struggle for freedom. The work “Dedicated to the Heavenly Hundred” captures the mass protests on the Maidan, individual stories, tragic moments, and the heroism of the participants, while the work “War in Ukraine” shows an emotional reaction to the harsh reality of the Russian-Ukrainian war: rocket debris, defensive structures, destroyed houses. “Each work is complex because it reflects my emotions. It’s not easy, but embroidery helps me deal with these feelings,” says the artist.

With the start of the full-scale invasion, Nina Honcharuk lived with her family in Estonia for some time, where she continued to work, promote Ukrainian culture, participate in many exhibitions and fairs, and present seven solo exhibitions. The artist donated many of her works to charity auctions, which raise funds to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The artist has now returned to Khmelnytskyi, where she is actively working and opening solo exhibitions, presenting new works, one of which, Sunset at Sea, she has just completed. The work reflects a search for harmony amid the waves of emotion, tension, and anxiety that accompany our lives today, and at the same time, a “reboot” that takes place stitch by stitch.

REFERENCE:

Nina Honcharuk (born in 1949 in the village of Vydoshnia, Yarmolyntsi district, Khmelnytskyi region; lives in Khmelnytskyi) is a distinguished master of folk art of Ukraine, laureate of the Khmelnytskyi regional Taras Shevchenko Prize and the city Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Prize, member of the Khmelnytskyi City Folk Art Studio “Rukotvory” – a branch of the regional center of the National Union of Folk Artists of Ukraine, member of the All-Ukrainian Public Creative Association ‘Exclusive’ and the Kyiv Union of Artists “Golden Palette.”

She graduated from the Kyiv Higher Professional School of Woodworking and the Vinnytsia Trade and Economic Institute.

Since 2000, she has been an active participant in numerous city, regional, national, and international exhibitions, competitions, and fairs, including: “Colorful Ukraine” (National Complex “Expocenter of Ukraine,” Kyiv, 2006), the Festival of World Cultures “Svirzh” (Svirzh village, Lviv region, 2009), “Shevchenko in Embroidered Canvases” (“Khata na Priortsi,” branch of the Taras Shevchenko Museum, Kyiv, 2012), 50th personal exhibition (Taras Shevchenko Museum, Kaniv, 2013), All-Ukrainian Art Festival-Competition “Spring of Talents” (ART-PRO, Myrhorod, 2019), “Golden Needle of Ukraine” (Center for Ukrainian Culture, Tallinn, Estonia 2023; a total of 7 personal exhibitions took place in Estonia in 2023-2024). More than 70 exhibitions presented her works in Kyiv alone.

She has held more than 100 solo exhibitions (two of which were at the apARTment gallery of the KhRAM in 2004 and 2008).

In 2007, she participated in the embroidery of the “Towel of National Unity.”

2008 – Ukrainian Peace Council awarded the artist with the Certificate of Honor “Laureate of the Golden Needle of Ukraine” competition;

2009 – for her invention (a method of embroidery – two-three-layer embroidery), she received a patent from the State Department of Intellectual Property for a utility model, registered in the State Register of Patents for Utility Models on October 26, 2009;

2018 – award from the National Register of Records of the Country (“Book of Records of Ukraine”): the largest number of paintings embroidered using the technique of multi-layer volumetric embroidery;

2020 – presentation of the book-album “Painting with a Needle by Nina Honcharuk” (author-compiler Liudmyla Rozhko-Pavlenko).

The works are kept in private and museum collections in Ukraine and abroad.