Presensted by Fo Guang Yuan Arts Gallery in partnership with Multicultural Arts Victoria

Motifs: A Celebration of Life Through the Ukrainian Art of Pysanka and Embroidery

Opening: Monday 15 March 6:30pm
Exhibition runs from 15 March - 10 Apr 2010
Fo Guan Yuan Art Gallery, 141 Queen Street, Melbourne, 3000.

A celebration of life through the Ukrainian art of Pysanka and embroidery. There is no life without art, pysanky and rushnyky are a folk art which have been the pulse of the Ukrainian nation.

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Pysanka

The art of creating Ukrainian Pysanky (from the work pysaty - to write) has been handed down from generation to generation. Decorated eggs were intimately related to the greeting of spring, the decorated egg represented life winning over death, spring over winter. The symbolism of the pysanka has brought hope, happiness and protection to the Ukrainians for many centuries. The designs on pysanky are, for the most part, geometric, with some plant and animal forms. The most prevalent and recognised motif is the stylised symbol of the sun. Endless lines symbolise eternity, while images of animal and bird figures represent fertility and strength. The introduction of Christianity to Ukraine brought with it such elements as the cross, fish and images of churches.

An echo of the past, this unique and striking art, a symbol of the sudden burst of life from dormancy offers hope and beauty for the future. In today's society there is a need for peace, harmony and creativity: the Pysanka's deeply rooted symbolism encompasses this.

Rushnyki

Ukrainians take great pride in their rich, symbolic, embroidered cloths, which function as decorative and ritualistic cloth heirlooms that are integral to Ukrainian culture.

The rushnyk is a ritual cloth that, in Ukrainian tradition, was regarded as a protection against evil. Today, rushnyki are still found displayed in places of honoUr in Ukrainian households. They are made of linen or cotton, with woven or embroidered designs.

Regional embroidery designs and colour schemes evolved gradually, due to the frequent use of rushnyki during ceremony and throughout daily life. Matchmakers wore rushnyki around their shoulders and brought couples together, who would take their wedding vows while kneeling on a rushnyk. The new bride, wearing a rushnyk around her waist, would later cradle her newborn in a rushnyk. The mother would later teach her daughter to embroider rushnyki for her wedding chest. When family members died, their coffins would be lowered into the ground with rushnyki.

Symbols and Stitches ?Over 200 different stitching techniques have been identified throughout Ukrainian rushnyk-making. Each stitch impacts the full design. So, too, do the various symbols and pictures embroidered with the stitches imbue each piece with particular meaning.

There is no life without art, pysanky and rushnyky are a folk art which have been the pulse of the Ukrainian nation. The symbolism of pysanky and rushnyky have brought hope happiness and protection to the Ukrainians for many centuries.

Curators

Rt Rev Zenon Chorkawyj
Curator Ukrainian Arts and Crafts Museum, Melbourne

Natalia Moravski