Marlene Kawalez

My young parents immigrated from the Ukraine after WW2 to Canada, where they met and married. They held to their traditional ways but immersed themselves into the Canadian culture.
As a first generation Canadian-Ukrainian, there exists such a diversity
of culture between myself and my parent’s homeland. The practise,
the spoken word and traditions are somewhat similar and yet
drastically different.
The piece I created is to honour the 20,000 children taken from the
Ukraine to Russia in 2022. It is my way of connecting and honouring
my Ukrainian heritage and show the solidarity I possess for a place
I have never been but feel such a strong connection to.