,RUSHYNK - DESASTRES DE LA GUERRA'

‚Rushnyk – Desastres de la guerra’ transforms graphics by the Spanish painter Francisco de Goya that were created between 1810 and 1814. The aquatint etchings depict the atrocities committed by Napoleon's  soldiers in battle with the rebellious Spanish population against the French occupation.


Image and image above courtesy of Caro Baumann.

For the exhibition, the etchings are processed by using so-called ‚rushnyks‘ - traditional Ukrainian embroidery patterns. These embroideries are hand crafted in collaboration with women who have fled to Germany from the Ukraine.

Rushnyk - a woven linen cloth with red cross-stitch embroidery, is a symbol of hospitality and an integral part of Ukrainian folk art. Each region has its own motifs and compositional characteristics, which are passed on from generation to generation, from mother to daughter.


Image courtesy of Caro Baumann

In view of the war in Ukraine, the 'Rushnyk’ series depicts the horrors of war in Ukrainian embroidery.

Goya's motifs are superimposed with the traditional patterns, the acts of violence destroy the order of the regular patterns. The symbolic meaning of the traditional ornaments sets a new level over the centuries-old, constantly recurring incomprehensibility of human abysses caused by war.

The eternal ritornello of destruction, injury, death and hatred reflects the current explosiveness of the war with all its global effects such as refugee movements, armament, economic and energy policy consequences. The location in the bunker on Blumenstrasse, which was built by the Nazis as a civilian air raid shelter during  World War II, adds to the exhibition a historical context. The Architekturgalerie München is converting the bunker and turning it into a place of building culture and art.


Image courtesy of Saskia Wehler

The historical region of the 'Rus' is home to the traditional 'rushnyk' embroidery, which today includes parts of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The transnational origin of this centuries-old culture stands in stark contrast to the current wartime situation.

The peaceful, creative manual work is an expression of the need for peace as the basis for a dignified existence - tolerance, solidarity, empathy, balance and generosity are only possible in a stable, safe and free environment.

The year-long process of embroidering together with women who have fled from the Ukraine has resulted in lasting human relationships that have overcome cultural differences and language barriers and constitutes an independent part of the project.


Image: Einscharren und schweigen, Francisco de Goya

Next to the embroideries, Goya's etchings are shown in their original size.

y no hay remedio - And there is no remedy
Que hay que hacer mas? - Is there anything worse to do?
Y son fieras - And they are beasts
¡Qué valor! - What courage!
Grande hazaña! Con muertos! - Great feat! With dead!
Lo mismo - the same
ni por esas - Not for these
Enterrar y callar dig in and be silent
Madre infeliz! - Unhappy mother
Las results - The consequences.

On the side wall next to the ten embroidered images, a frieze shows the stylized outline of the Goya motifs, which is filled with the text of the UN Charter. This creates a similar effect as with the traditional embroidery designs - the charter, translated into French, Spanish, German, English and Russian, is fragmented by the silhouette of the depictions of war.

The incompleteness of the text shows the need for a revision of the Charter and the renewal of the Security Council so that in the future "all members will settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a way that international peace, international security and justice are not endangered" (Article 2.3 ) and “to refrain in their international relations from any threat or use of force directed against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State” (Article 2.4).


Image courtesy of Saskia Wehler

Together with the Architekturgalerie, morePlatz and the Bavarian State Opera, the ‘Rushnyk’ project makes the historical identity of the place tangible and at the same time reflects our time: the exhibition and music unfold  on three floors of the architectural gallery. In contrast to 'rushnyk - desastres de la guerra', textile cityscapes of Kiev in times of peace are shown on the second floor. The series of images dates from 2010 and was photographed by Johannes Schele during a lecture tour. The photos were taken on a car-free Sunday in central Kiev. The people strolling on the street illustrate the peaceful atmosphere. In contrast to the monochrome embroidered pictures with war motifs, the peace pictures are kept in bright colours.

Text by Caro Baumann, morePlatz

‚Rushnyk – Desastres de la guerra’ will be on show at the Architekturgalerie, Munich until 11 September 2023.

Find out more:
www.architekturgalerie-muenchen.de