“Twenty five sisters of independence”

Doll-maker sisters Natalia and Tetiana Katrychenko have made 25 items in the past year, which will be displayed in 24 oblasts of Ukraine and Crimea to mark the 25th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. Each of the dolls is particular and has a history of its own. They were all skillfully embroidered by hand on a homespun cloth in different techniques typical of various regions of Ukraine. For example, the sisters used Crimean Tatar stylization for the “Crimean doll.” The ornaments are plant-style and geometric. The main colors are tender and shining at the same time, like the Black Sea sunset-time sky, from pink to blue and golden. The knot doll (“motanka”) dons an embroidered Crimean Tatar headgear known as fez. On the whole, about 50 embroidering techniques and over 200 colors were used to make 25 dolls. The Katrychenko sisters apply this variety of techniques, colors, and images to show the beauty and diversity of traditional Ukrainian culture. They staged their first solo exhibit, Motanka.UA, in Kyiv in April 2012. Later, their works represented Ukraine in June 2012 during Ukrainian Culture Days in Warsaw and Wroclaw (Poland), at festivals in Istanbul (Turkey) and Tbilisi (Georgia). Katrychenko-made dolls have now been displayed in almost all the European countries as well as in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US, Japan, and South Africa.