WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY BY DZVINYA PODLYASHETSKA

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My name is Dzvinya Podlyashetska, and I am a Ukrainian artist. I currently live in Vienna (temporarily), although it was not by choice, as with many other Ukrainians. I had a good, quiet life in my homeland. A house with a large garden, an art studio, pets. I got pregnant, and my husband and I started planning on renovations for our home to make more room for the baby and renovations for our two nearby studios (we are both artists).

But the winter turned out to be long and not at all cheerful: every day the political situation worsened, and the news became increasingly terrible. My husband and I and my parents decided to go abroad for a few days to relieve a little of the tension and to wait. The day after we arrived in Poland, Russian troops invaded our land, and because of my pregnancy we stayed in Europe. At that time, my brother and his pregnant wife were already in Vienna, so we decided to stay together and also came to Austria.

My parents settled in a small town in the Austrian Alps and my husband and I in the capital. We have not been home for 4 months. We have been very lucky to meet good people who treat us well and help a lot with various things. Here we do what we can by telling people the truth about what is really going on in Ukraine, because many people know just a little bit, and some have succumbed to Russian propaganda. My art has changed, although from time to time I continue to draw funny, ironic pieces.

However, now in my paintings I try to depict the war being waged by the Russian miliary and the terrible events that are happening to our people: brutal murders; men, women and children being raped; looting; people being tortured; cities being destroyed; explosions, and other things. But I also portray the positive moments: faith, the courage and bravery of our soldiers, love and a bright future for our country. My husband and I actively participate in exhibitions so that as many people as possible can see what is happening in the largest country in Europe. We are not planning on staying forever in another country and applying for refugee status. We want to stay here only temporarily for the health of the baby and for the opportunity to work full time and earn with our art so that we can donate money to help our Ukraine. We will return home soon and will rebuild our homeland together with other people.

@dzvinya_studio

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Piece with Artist MAGAZINE ISSUE 00. JUNE 2022. © www.piecewithartist.com