In memory of Dariia Alioshkina

Today, 18 August, the artist Dariia Alioshkina, creator of the series of works on the Holodomor entitled ‘Lace of Memory’, will be laid to rest in Lviv. Her heart suddenly stopped beating on 15 August, whilst she was in the prime of her life and creative career, at the age of 44.

Dariia graduated as a sculptor, but her creative journey eventually led her to work not with stone but with a fragile and delicate material: paper. In reviving the ancient art of vytynanka, Dariia has achieved unprecedented skill and perfection. Her work has breathed new life into this ancient art form, and Ukrainian vytynanka has become well-known and recognisable far beyond Ukraine’s borders. The artist’s works have been exhibited in Poland, France, Germany, Belgium, the USA, Canada, South Korea, Italy, Denmark, Austria and Sweden.

In 2019, we were honoured to host Dariia’s series of works, ‘Lace of Memory’, at the Holodomor Museum. The series interwove Ukrainian traditions and festivals with scenes depicting the Holodomor, based on eyewitness accounts. Her vytynanky are enormous in scale and tell entire stories, woven and narrated on paper. Thousands of details, crafted entirely by hand, with such finesse and delicacy, just like real lace… No one had ever told the story of the Holodomor-genocide like this before. The exhibition subsequently toured various cities in Ukraine and abroad. We also fondly recall our collaboration with Dariia in creating souvenir items for the museum.

We are devastated by this untimely loss and express our sincere condolences to her family: her parents, husband, children and everyone who knew and loved Dariia and her work.

This is a terrible loss for Ukraine and our culture.

We grieve and remember…