June 2023

The session ‘Women in War: the role of media and culture in strengthening democratic resilience‘ LAMPA Democracy Festival (Cesis, Latvia)

Cesis is the town where in 1989 secret preparations were made for the Baltic Way, a rally to mark the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Molotov-Ribentrop Pact, when millions of Latvians, Estonians and Lithuanians formed a human chain.
Today, Cēsis is the city where the LAMPA Democracy Festival is held. I spoke at the discussion "Women in war: the role of media and culture in strengthening democratic resilience".
I was born in 1989, the year of the fall of the Berlin Wall, when Francis Fukuyama proclaimed "the end of history".It was the time of the end of the Cold War, but as you know from the news and my life story, the end of the war did not happen.
I am Ukrainian, today and every day for the last 9 years, during which the longest war in modern history has been going on, we are making history! Every Ukrainian contributes to my country's victory over Russian terror. While my task is to speak about it as loudly as possible, which is what I did in Cēsis

March 2023

Discussion on the screening of the documentary 'Oh, Sister!'Nobel Women Initiative (Riga, Latvia)

Daria Kalashnikova takes part in the public discussion following the screening of 'Oh, Sister!’
In times of war and conflict, dominant narratives focus on men as heroes, while women are portrayed as victims. "Oh, Sister! tells the stories of six ordinary women and how they are fighting for freedom, justice and peace in Ukraine - documenting war crimes, evacuating people on trains, providing tactical medicine - and clearly shows that women also play a crucial role in fighting for their country

March 2023

‘Ukrainian month in Europe’Organized by the Cultural Center ‘Kaņepes’ and Latvian Centre for Performance Art

Daria Kalashnikova gave a lecture on "The Art of Living: How to Combine Creativity with Civic Position".
In the lecture the artist shared
• successful strategies for organising public creative events;
• methods about finding professional contacts in the international art community;
• success stories in finding financial resources for the projects;
• ways on conveying messages through public communication and art projects;
• sources inspiration;
• and Ukrainian bravery

March 2023

Lecture and masterclass on the traditional Ukrainian art of paper-cutting - Vytynanka Latvian National Museum of Art

Vytynanka is an ornamental home decoration, cut with a knife from white or coloured paper. It was usually placed on the windows to protect the house from the evil eye. Intricate paper lace served as a "sieve" of bad energy. The idea for this masterclass came to me during the bombardment of Kyiv in February 2023. Sitting in a shelter, I dreamed of protecting my home from the evil of war. In the folk tradition we have means to protect our home from external evil by making Vytynanka, so I invite everyone to a collective experience of making traditional Ukrainian Vytynanka.
I introduced the audience to the different meanings depicted in the ornaments of the Vytynanka. For example, the "tree of life" that bears fruit with the results of human activity, and birds that tell their story with their strong voice.
I also showed examples of the use of Vytynanka motifs in Ukrainian fashion and interiors. And, of course, I inspired them to create their own Vytynankas to tell their own unique stories