The story

A quote in the East Lothian Courier about my art:

"Blue and yellow national colours and the iconic sunflower symbol are brought together in this painting by Ukrainian mural artist Tetiana Hurn. The composition features a female figure, representing the women of Ukraine, in a field of sunflowers wearing an example of national dress in blue and white; this also references the Scottish Saltire in recognition of the artist’s new adopted home. This symbolic representation of Scotland and Ukraine recalls events in North Berwick and East Lothian following Russia’s illegal invasion of a peaceful neighbour: many individuals and groups found multiple ways of supporting what was seen as the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people.

One manifestation of support was the transformation of a pARTicipate art display into a version of the Ukrainian flag. Other flags were flown across the town; North Berwick Community Council projected a weeping flag on the High Street; residents volunteered to house refugees, donated funds, wrote campaigning letters and found countless other ways of showing support for victims of Europe’s worst war since 1945.

In April 2022 Tetiana Hurn and her young son were amongst the first groups of refugees to arrive in North Berwick. Inspired by the welcome and support they received, as an experienced street and mural artist, Tetiana wanted to ‘give something back’, and accepted the invitation to make the present installation, expressing her own visual response to this historic moment.

The starting point was the telephone, an idea central to pARTicipate’s artspace and a medium of communication that connects people. Perhaps distantly echoing Salvador Dalí’s Surrealist object ‘Lobster Telephone’ (1938), Tetiana uses the sunflower held to the figure’s ear as an imaginary means of communication, as others may use a shell to listen to the sound of the sea. The sunflowers also acknowledge the powerful way that Van Gogh used the energy of the sunflowers in numerous paintings in which they represent ‘gratitude’.

Gazing out with an expression of hope, the message communicated and received by the symbolic figure is one of welcome and safety for Ukrainians in Scotland and in East Lothian." 

Installation devised and painted by Tetiana Hurn, July 2022

Supported by pARTicipate arts group & North Berwick Environment and Heritage Trust