Coat "I hear their voices" by Una Bērziņa (LV) & Oleksandra Verkhovska (UA)

Coat created during the "Ukraine.Residence of Freedom" event in Riga, Latvia.

Materials: Linen, liquid fabric dye, acrylic, ink, wax

+ Includes Certificate of authenticity with author's signature.

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Una Bērziņa, Latvian fashion designer, and Oleksandra Verkhovska, Ukrainian multidisciplinary artist, are creating collective artwork on the border between design and conceptual art.

Oleksandra created the piece of textiles with handmade drawings which traveled from Kyiv to Latvia for the next steps of creating from Una. Extremely difficult and emotionally experiencing everything happening in Ukraine now, Oleksandra was able to convey these emotions through work.

"My work is a deep reflection of living collective grief. The national choice to resist the aggressor is a responsibility. The consequences of war include daily indescribable pain and horror, awareness of the fragility of human lives, and animal fear of the sound of a rocket flying over your house. This is all in contrast to an even worse grief - life in captivity, life without one's own home, life without Ukraine" - Oleksandra Verkhovska.

Una Bērziņa: "I would like every Ukrainian today to feel protected. That is why I chose such a design form as a coat. This may also reference mom's coat, which will warm and protect you. On top, I covered it with a thin layer of wax as a metaphor for protection through the material. Inside the coat, there are hidden symbols of protection that serve as amulets. This coat is like a security zone, you can put it on and become invisible and protected."