Exhibition
Rufina Bazlova: Works of the series 'The History of Belarusian Vyzhyvanka'

Fri, 22.03.2024 -
Sun, 24.03.2024
ACUD Studio

On August 9, 2020, peaceful decentralized protests erupted across the Republic of Belarus to contest the falsified presidential election results.

Rufina Bazlova's cycle of works is grounded in recognizable traditional Belarusian ornament forms and the white-red colour combination, which serves as a poignant element in the artworks and now is forbidden in Belarus due to its association with the opposition political symbols.

The medium of traditional embroidery is a widespread transnational phenomenon that uses elements of folk culture as a national commodity and marker of belonging. Belarusian embroideries are a specific code for recording information about the lives of the nation. Rufina Bazlova utilizes this medium to narrate the saga of the Belarusian uprising, where each image corresponds to an event that took place during the protests in 2020. The title of the cycle is based on a linguistic pun. Vyzhyvanka is the name of the technique of traditional belarusian embroidering; vyshyvat means to embroider in Belarusian, while vyzhyvat means to survive. The cycle includes works in various forms and techniques: graphics, hand and machine embroideries, animation, silkscreen prints, stamp prints and others.

© Jan Hromádko

Rufina Bazlova is a Prague-based artist who works in illustration, social artwork, scenography. She gained an international profile for her series The History of Belarusian Vyzhyvanka, which used the traditional folk embroidery medium to depict the peaceful protests in Belarus in 2020. The Artist is also known as the author of the embroidered comic Zhenokol (Feminnature), which explores the theme of feminism present in folk traditions. Bazlova is a coauthor of the installation about the Belarusian Female Triumvirate, created for the political Charlemagne prize 2022 in Aachen. In August 2022 the Ukrainian president Volodymir Zelensky opened the week of independence wearing a shirt with Bazlova’s ornament. Rufina founded the association Stitchit, z.s. that currently works on the international solidarity project #Framed in Belarus dedicated to political prisoners in Belarus. Through the collaborative approach, Stitchit involves diverse communities and individuals in the creation process, blurring the lines of authorship and creating a platform for voices often excluded from mainstream art discourse. In 2023 Rufina was a fellow of ArtsLink program and spent residency at the Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago.