In 2021 in Ukraine, I was invited to join an artistic project dedicated to the life and creative practice of Alina Lamakh (1925–2020), a Ukrainian artist renowned for her tapestries and her role as the compiler of the legendary The Book of Schemes, written by the prominent Ukrainian Sixtier Valerii Lamakh.

The project explores whether memory preservation can be considered art, examining the preservation and reproduction of memory, and drawing connections between past artistic expressions and contemporary creativity. It also embodies a critical look at the hierarchy and political construction of gender, national, and genre affiliations in repressive systems, particularly the Soviet one, and reflections on displaced identities and hidden lives.

The project curators formed a research group of five artists whose practices involve textiles. Our task was to develop our own artwork ideas and implement them for an exhibition now titled “In Memory of the One Who Keeps the Memory.”

The idea for my artwork ALINA & I emerged after visiting Alina and Valerii Lamakh’s apartment in Kyiv, where their daughter Liudmyla shared Alina’s tapestries and graphics. I was struck by the meticulous detail in her colourful floral tapestries — her talent and skill are undeniable. Unexpectedly, I inherited the frame loom that belonged to Alina after the visit. It was clear that this loom would play a significant role in the creative process.

The project was temporarily paused for two years due to the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which highlighted even more the importance of memory preservation.

After the initial shock and adjustments, my colleagues and I managed to return to work, though now our meetings were held online as we were, and many still are, scattered across Europe.

My artwork ALINA & I is an homage to Alina Lamakh’s art. Creating this piece on her loom made me feel her presence, as if she were guiding me at times — as if the loom served as a transmitter between two worlds, two lifetimes shared through experiences of war, womanhood, and working with textiles. I see my work as a translation of her figurative floral motifs into abstract, intuitive patterns with organically woven shapes. Shades of green interplay with contrasting accents, creating an abstract, dynamic, and almost hypnotic composition, open to the viewer's interpretation — a flower garden, a spring valley, or something entirely different.