Korotich (Ukraine)

This is the Duschkakaramuschka family who lives in Korotich, about 15 km from Kharkiv. Since last Sunday, I am staying with Varia and Vitaly. The first evening I was welcomed like a queen. Their son Serega was here, with his girlfriend Tanja, and they had prepared a great diner and 'tort', all with fruit and vegetables from their own garden and with selfmade wine and vodka. And after that came the singing of Ukrainian songs.  Serega and Tanja are musicians, so I was treated with a truly professional performance.
And in that way, after Kharkiv city life, have I entered village life. About 8.000 people are living in Korotich and for me, to spend time here as part of these wonderful people's lives, is an existential experience. My eyes and head are overheated with impressions.
Varia and Vitaly have been travelling to Europe and other places and they are also working with a Dutch lady who creates bags and other accessories from recycled material. They are very handy and practical. Varia is also sewing dresses for girls who will be having school ball soon. She makes 'bonbons from shit', as she describes it. She does not mean the girls are shit, of course, only the fabric she has to make these dream dresses from :-)

This is Ina, with me. Ina is Vitaly's cousin and she is a very gentle hairdresser. Before me, she also cutted the hair of the boyfriend of Vitaly's mother, here at salon 'Doma'. Vitaly's mother and her boyfriend live here also, but they have some seperate space, so we are not all in each other's way. Anyway, now I have a great Ukrainian haircut, ponytale included.

I could talk to you for hours about the small details I find so interesting here, but I will limit myself to giving you a photographic impression of where I am now, of the village and the place where I am staying. It puts my perception of life and the way I am working and thinking as an artist to question very immediately.