Viktoria Kondratieva: Studios of Sanctuary

Studios of Sanctuary is Sample-Studios’ multi award-winning training and mentorship programme for artists from an asylum seeker, refugee or migrant background. The programme was successfully piloted from 2021-23 with the support of the Cork Arts Fund and has continued in 2024 with support from Rethink Ireland. The programme offers eight artists from asylum seeker, refugee and migrant backgrounds a programme of professional development training, one-to-one expert mentorship, a peer network, access to facilities, a monthly bursary and funding support to deliver community events.

Viktoria Kondratieva is a visual artist based in Cork. Kondratieva is from Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine. Viktoria was invited to be a part of Cork Printmakers Young Print Collective funded by Cork City Council. She is a participant of Sample-Studios’ Studios of Sanctuary programme. Viktoria’s artistic journey began in her early years, inspired by the rich tapestry of Ukrainian folklore and the intricate patterns of Petrykivka painting. She is a self-taught artist. Later, she discovered her passion for screen printing. Combining these two distinct art forms, Viktoria developed a signature style that marries the meticulous detail of Petrykivka motifs with the bold, graphic qualities of screen printing. She is mentored by Cork printmaker Debbie Godsell through the Studios of Sanctuary Programme.

Viktoria will engage in a residency in Triskel Arts Centre building a new body of portraiture exploring the symbolism of traditional ragdolls.  Each piece will be a different portrait of a woman from Ukraine in traditional clothes from different regions of Ukraine. During the Soviet era, traditional Ukrainian clothing, like many other expressions of national identity, was systematically suppressed. The Soviet government sought to create a unified Soviet identity, which meant erasing distinct national cultures within the USSR. Traditional Ukrainian attire, which was vibrant and symbolic, was viewed as a threat to this homogenization. The authorities encouraged, and at times enforced, the wearing of standardized Soviet clothing, which was meant to downplay ethnic differences and promote a collective Soviet identity. This body of work will present ten women from different regions of Ukraine in traditional dress, faceless but in the form of ragdolls, symbolic of the safety of the homestead.