– an image of a light and swift bird, created in 1967 by the monumental artist and Ukrainian dissident Alla Horska. It was “immortalized” in Mariupol and was destroyed as a result of the shelling of the city by Russian troops. Contrary to Soviet ideology, the mosaic never became “Socialist Realist.” At the last moment, Alla and her fellow artists altered the previously approved sketch.
We created a mosaic-style embroidered shirt by using the color of the concrete on which it is depicted and dividing it into two parts: the right side, featuring a surviving bird, and the left side, featuring a destroyed one. The embroidery on the shirt echoes the technique of the Monumentalists. In this way, we continue the story of Alla Gorskaya’s bird, adding the story of the present to it.
All proceeds from the sale of “Boriviter” men’s and women’s embroidered shirts are directed toward training Ukrainian military personnel at the “Boryviter” school..
*Permission to use the “Boryviter” panel design was granted by the charitable organization “Alla Gorskaya and Viktor Zaretsky Foundation.”
– a Ukrainian artist of the 1960s generation, dissident, social activist, and human rights advocate. The artist’s story resonates painfully with the present day: bans and the removal of her works, expulsion from the Union of Artists, persecution by the KGB, and, later, her brutal murder for her unwavering Ukrainian identity and free-thinking. Yet despite it all, Alla Horska became one of the founders of Ukrainian culture in her time and left us countless iconic works.
About Collaboration
Our motto: “Boryviter”—creativity that resists
The SVARGA embroidered clothing brand, the “Boriviter Military School” NGO, and the “Alla Gorska and Viktor Zaretsky Foundation” charitable organization have launched a charitable partnership, resulting in the release of an embroidered shirt in honor of the “Boriviter” mosaic panel by 1960s artist Alla Gorska. SVARGA donates all proceeds from sales to support the training of Ukrainian military personnel at the “Boriviter” school.
