heritage & displacement series (2022)
Created in 2022, this body of work represents a significant shift toward an autobiographical and research-driven practice. Having been based in London for nearly three decades, my upbringing in Canada within a tight-knit community remained the primary lens through which I processed the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Prompted by the full-scale conflict, the series explores the trauma of history repeating itself, drawing direct parallels between current events and the experiences of my grandparents during the Second World War.
The work is informed by extensive archival research into family photographs and cultural objects, including traditional pysanky (Easter eggs) and embroidered textiles. Within the pieces, I incorporate my Ukrainian birth name, Мирослава (Myroslava), and the familial diminutive Myrosia. Although my legal name was changed to Marcy during childhood following an adoption, these original names remain an enduring link to my family. By integrating this identity into the visual language and titles of the work, I documented these histories through monotypes and screenprint monotypes on paper, cotton, and linen. These pieces explore the tension between the sanctuary of a new life and the indelible ties to a homeland under siege.
Personal Archive: The artist, aged seven, painting traditional pysanky with the Ukrainian National Federation. Featured in The Sudbury Star, Canada, circa 1980s.
works on textile
The following screenprint monotypes were developed from research into traditional craft and family celebrations. By using large-scale textiles, the work references the tactile nature of inherited clothing and the physical presence of cultural memory. These pieces translate archival family photographs into physical objects, exploring the intersection of heritage, displacement, and political resistance. Other works in this section include Ukrainian Cossack Dancers and Ukrainian Hopak Dancers, which are screenprint monotypes on cotton depicting traditional dance movements. These are joined by St. Nicholas Day, a piece capturing the specific cultural traditions of present-giving and heritage clothing within the Ukrainian diaspora.
Мирослава (2022)
This series of large-scale textiles features my full Ukrainian birth name and archival images of family members dancing. The inclusion of UFO motifs bridges this series with my broader exploration of 'the Other', symbolising the alienating experience of displacement. The linen edition was hand-dyed with beetroot as a material reference to traditional Ukrainian culture. The subsequent silk and cotton editions were deliberately designed to be hung unframed, serving as a direct visual reference to political protest banners against the ongoing war.
Мирослава (Linen)
Screenprint monotype on beetroot-dyed linen
158 x 65 cm
Мирослава (Silk)
Screenprint monotype on dark blue silk
145 x 65 cm unframed
Мирослава (Cotton)
Screenprint monotype on black cotton
142 x 65 cm unframed
Ukrainian Hopak Dancers (2022)
Screenprint on cotton
Monotype
55 x 38 cm
Ukrainian Cossack Dancers (2022)
Screenprint on cotton
Monotype
55 x 36 cm
St. Nicholas Day (2022)
Screenprint on cotton
Monotype
57 x 48 × 3 cm framed
monotypes on paper
This collection of work bridges the gap between personal family archives and the physical process of printmaking. The series moves between the recovery of personal history and a visceral response to the current conflict in Ukraine. A central work, Ukrainian Blood II, depicts my grandparents immediately following their wedding in 1945. Having married shortly after being freed from a Nazi labour camp, the image captures a moment of profound hope amidst historical despair that resonates with current events.
This archival exploration continues in pieces such as Myrosia, Natalie, and Ukrainian Dove, which utilise screenprint monotype processes to translate family photographs into haunting, singular impressions that explore heritage and symbolic resilience. These research-based works are juxtaposed with the Ukraine Blood series, a collection of six ink-based monotypes that serve as a raw, immediate reaction to the 2022 invasion.
Ukrainian Blood I (2022)
Ink on paper
Monotype
41 x 33 cm
Ukrainian Blood II (2022)
Ink on paper
Monotype
42 x 31 cm
Ukrainian Blood VI (2022)
Ink on paper
Monotype
43 x 33 cm
Ukrainian Blood III (2022)
Ink on paper
Monotype
41 x 30 cm
Ukrainian Blood V (2022)
Ink on paper
Monotype
41 x 34 cm
Ukrainian Blood IV (2022)
Ink on paper
Monotype
42 x 33 cm
Natalie (2022)
Screen print on Heritage paper
Monotype
30 x 21 cm
Myrosia (2022)
Screenprint on Heritage paper
Monotype
30 x 21 cm
Ukrainian Dove (2022)
Screenprint on Heritage paper
Monotype
H30 x21 cm
exhibition documentation: displacement
The 2022 solo exhibition, Displacement, at Putney Library, London, was promoted with a poster featuring the central work Ukrainian Blood II. Documentation of the show includes an installation view that illustrates the intimate scale of the framed monotypes on paper and the relationship between the various experimental printmaking processes used throughout the series.
Installation view, Displacement, Putney Library, London, 2022.
Installation view, Displacement, Putney Library, London, 2022.
Installation view, Foundation Diploma Exhibition, Putney School of Art and Design, London, 2022.