Preserving the Art and Memory of Polina Raiko
Polina Raiko (1928–2004), a self-taught naïve artist from the Kherson region, began painting at the age of 69 after the loss of her family. She transformed the walls and ceilings of her modest house into a vivid world of birds, angels, plants and symbols drawn from memory, faith and imagination. In 2021, her murals were recognised as a monument of local importance. Raiko’s house has been inaccessible since the Russian occupation in 2022. After the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in June 2023, the building was flooded and severely damaged.
For more than two decades, the NGO “Totem” Centre of Cultural Development, led by curator Olena Afanasieva, documented and promoted Raiko’s work. After the flooding, the organisation turned from protecting a physical site to preserving its memory. In summer 2023 it began to assess the damage photographs of the flooded house shared by neighbours and Polina Raiko Charitable Foundation, and digitise diaries, drawings and archival materials. A public call invited former visitors to contribute photographs and recollections. Around 400 people from Ukraine and abroad responded to the call, adding more than 2,000 images to the digital archive.
The collected material formed the basis of the book Polina Raiko: Invisible, published in both Ukrainian and English with support from USAID. It was presented in cities across Ukraine and distributed to more than 600 libraries and cultural institutions in Ukraine, Europe, the United States and Canada. Lectures and presentations reached around 700 participants at 15 public events, while five exhibitions in 2024 attracted about 5,000 visitors. Materials from the archive have also contributed to exhibitions abroad.
To reach younger audiences, the initiative created augmented-reality characters based on Raiko’s imagery that can be accessed on mobile devices. The team also produced a colouring book based on Raiko’s motifs, used in workshops with children, people with mental disabilities and those affected by the war. More than 40 organisations across Ukraine now use these materials. Colouring workshops engaged thousands of participants, including in frontline regions where sessions took place in protected shelters.
More than 100 artists and craftspeople have created artworks, design objects and fashion items inspired by Raiko’s motifs. The initiative received support from UNESCO and the Ukrainian Emergency Art Fund and relied on significant voluntary work.
The Awards’ Jury stated: “This initiative demonstrates how cultural heritage can be safeguarded even under conditions of war and occupation. Driven largely by volunteers, it has mobilised citizens, artists and designers to document and share the work of Polina Raiko through a crowdsourced archive, publications and exhibitions. Digital tools and augmented reality allow Raiko’s damaged and inaccessible painted house to remain present and meaningful for communities today.”
Contact: Olena Afanasieva | NGO “Totem” Centre of Cultural Development | totem.center@gmail.com | www.totemua.org