

Katya Bondarec
b. Sarny, Ukraine, 1981
y. active 2016 - present
Silence
paper collage, 15.7 x 11.8 in
Created on March 25, 2022
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See all of the works in the exhibit HERE
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At the time of creation, the artist was in the city of Krivyy Rih, central Ukraine, in her home. She had the opportunity to flee but decided to stay to remain with her husband and 18 year old son.
$700
sold/private collection
All proceeds go to help artists in Ukraine and to foster US-Ukraine cultural ties and cooperation. Please use Contact Form or see restaurant staff if you are interested in purchasing.
As the basis of her work the artist used a fragment of a fresco ‘The Annunciation’ by an early Renaissance painter Fra Angelico (1395– 1455). The fresco is located in the friars’ dormitories of the former cloister of San Marco in Florence, Italy, which is now a museum. The fresco shows an angel delivering the news to Mary that she is now carrying the son of god. Katya organically weaves a map of Ukraine into Mary’s arms where it looks like she is holding it close to her chest. She is protecting it as her child that has not been born yet, but very soon will enter this world and cleanse it. Mary’s mouth is covered signifying a silent scream and fear that bound people in the face of this evil, leaving with the only option is to hunker down and wait for everything to end.
Katya is a professional puppet designer and maker. Few years ago she began her foray into visual arts and now focuses on digital and physical collages. Katya uses historic, often religious, works of art as a prism to portray her thoughts and feelings on current events. She was a part of many puppet exhibits, such as Teddy Mission in Dublin and MuñecArt in Alicante, Spain. Her artwork is on display at ArtCraftOil art gallery in Krivyy Rih.
