„Спільні домівки / A home together” is a family exhibition about what a home is and what gives us a sense of security – especially in a changing world. The project was created with the participation of people with migration experience, particularly of Ukrainian origin.
A key stage in the creation of the exhibition was a series of creative workshops where children and adults created collages, embroidery, sounds, and ceramic forms. These became the starting point for conversations about home – not as a physical place, but as a collection of associations, memories, relationships, and everyday experiences. In conversations with educators, artists, and a psychologist, children talked about what makes them feel safe and “at home”.
Many people taking part in the project live in safety today, yet the difficult experience of change does not disappear from their daily lives. It returns in the news, conversations with loved ones, night terrors, or sounds that trigger a memory. Children often draw war, even when no one asks about it. However, the “Спільні домівки / A home together” exhibition does not focus on a single story or group, but rather shows the universal experience of seeking peace, stability, and community.
Experiencing the exhibition safely together
The exhibition contains numerous interactive elements and remains an open process, changing with each visitor. The sensory experience of the exhibition is vital: through the plasticity of clay, the softness of blankets, the texture of fabrics, or the rhythm of collaborative activities. This allows for the regulation of emotions and engagement with more difficult topics at an appropriate pace.
Guides are available to support adults in leading mindful, age-appropriate conversations with children. The issues raised – related to home, memory, or change – are often intuitively familiar to children, but adult support helps them name, organize, and safely process these experiences.
Radical Hospitality
The foundation of the project is the idea of hospitality understood as a mutual relationship of welcoming and being welcomed. “aльні домівки / A home together” invites reflection on how, in a changing daily reality, Warsaw is becoming a shared place – re-created through relationships, everyday gestures, and the mutual care of different groups. The museum becomes a meeting place, a shared home – co-created by people with various experiences and histories.
The “Спільні домівки / A home together” exhibition is held at the State Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw in cooperation with the Ukrainian House Foundation.
THEMATIC ROOMS
- Room 1 – Collages created during workshops show symbols and objects related to home and the experience of moving. The space is open – visitors can co-create it by adding their own memories and reflections on home.
- Room 2 – Embroidery, deeply rooted in Ukrainian culture, serves as a carrier of identity and protection. Collaboratively created works, juxtaposed with archival materials, show embroidery as a type of amulet. In this room, visitors can create their own protective symbol inspired by ancient motifs.
- Room 3 – Home becomes a sound experience here: children’s voices, daily rhythms, and fragments of songs can be heard. The space changes with the participation of visitors, who can leave their own sounds behind.
- Room 4 – A story about the kitchen – flavors, and family rituals that build bonds and maintain cultural memory. Visitors can discover the culinary traditions of Poland, Ukraine, and Crimea.
- Room 5 – Memories and dreams recorded on ceramic tiles create personal stories inspired by the tradition of Kosiv ceramics from the Hutsul region. The works connect the past with dreams for the future.
- Room 6 – A space with a large bed inspired by children’s “forts” made of pillows and blankets. It is a place for reflection on what a sense of security is and what makes us feel “at home”.
The exhibition was created through a collaboration between artists and workshop participants – children and adults, including people with migration experience from Ukraine. Workshops were led by: Maryna Siliakova, Magdalena Ciemierkiewicz, Yuliya Kovalska, Anna Polishchuk, and Halyna Dudar, in cooperation with the Crimean House Foundation.
Each room refers to one of the workshops and displays its results in a spatial form.
ACCESSIBILITY
- Content in Polish, Ukrainian, and English.
- Audio descriptions of the entire exhibition and selected objects in Polish, Ukrainian, and English.
- Tactile graphics of a selected object.
- Objects that can be touched.
- Video guide and information in Polish Sign Language (PJM).
- Rest areas.
- Text in appropriate font sizes for reading comfort.
The selection of content translated into accessible forms was made through a consultation process, including the perspectives of self-advocates.
ABOUT THE CURATOR
Ivanna Berchak – independent curator, art mediator, art project coordinator, and author of the texts about art. She specializes in organizing exhibitions, educational programs, and workshops, collaborating with artists, and implementing socio-artistic projects. She has experience working in cultural institutions, foundations, and independent art initiatives. Currently, she is a curator of exhibitions and projects at the Dim Gallery in Warsaw. She collaborates with the Edward Dwurnik Foundation, the Magdalena Więcek Estate, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, and the Ukrainian House in Warsaw, where she co-organizes cultural events and conducts educational activities. She is a graduate of the Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University in Ivano-Frankivsk (Painting, Pedagogical Qualifications) and the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław (Art Mediation).
Director of the State Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw: dr Magdalena Wróblewska
Curator: Ivanna Berchak
Authors of texts: Ivanna Berchak, Patryk Pawlaczyk
Project Coordination: Justyna Dominiak
Workshop Coordination and Facilitation: Hanna Reshetnova, Maryna Siliakova, Magdalena Ciemierkiewicz, Yulia Kovalska, Halyna Dudar, Khalil Khalilov, Barbara Kaczmarczyk, Maria Beburia
Psychologist: Yuliia Sachavska
Scenography: Filip Pietuch
Production Coordination and Logistics: Marta Ancelewska, Joanna Migut
Visual Identity: Beata Śliwińska Barrakuz
Graphic Design and Typesetting: Filip Pietuch
Editing and Proofreading: Monika Buraczyńska
Accessibility: Justyna Zieniuk, Wielozmysły
Conservation: Anna Wielechowska-Olszak, Marcin Burzymowski
Archival Research: Joanna Bartuszek
Technical Team and Organizational Cooperation: Marcin Kiersnowski, Zenon Winnicki, Łukasz Malinowski, Tomasz Rychter, Mariusz Horoś
Accompanying Programme: Justyna Dominiak, Julia Grudzień, Maria Lewandowska, Joanna Migut, Luxuan Wang, Justyna Zieniuk
PR and Communication: Łukasz Gackowski, Patrycja Lewandowska, Jakub Nowociński, Marta Matysiak, Przemysław Walczak
Special thanks to the embroiderers: Alicja Mironiuk-Nikolska, Agnieszka Kleszcz, Marta Elas, Elwira Melonik
Workshop Participants:
Swetlana Antonets, Diana Balynska, Olena Bariieva, Iryna Bogdanovska, Galyna Bogdanovska, Artem Chystikov, Margarita Cohen, Olga Domina, Vitaliia Dubrovska, Olha Hembik, Anna Hryhorenko, Inna Ivanova, Svitlana Kolesnyk, Viktoriia Kolosiuk, Liudmyla Korobka, Anastasiya Krapivkina, Poliesova Mariia, Viktoriia Medvedieva, Anastasiia Mezentseva, Natalia Mordach, Natalia Mosyurchak, Nataliia Mukhina, Nadiia Muliarchuk, Rymma Mylenkova, Maliborska Nataliia, Yuliia Nesterenko, Iryna Novikova, Okis Olga, Zhanna Ozerova, Danylo Piven, Yana Polikovska, Olha Polovnycha, Oksana Pryvrotska, Viktoriia Sharun, Viktoriya Shtamkovska, Maria Siubar, Yaroslava Sliusareva, Nadiia Spivak, Tetiana Tanchuk, Rohova Tetiana, Halyna Vavrukh, Tetiana Zasimenko, Viktoriia Mishchenko, Diana Hubaidulina, Iryna Bazhan, Maryna Oliinyk, Olga Syrotenko, Inna Rabtsun, Kateryna Chovhal.
Partner
Media Patrons
The exhibition was co-financed by the Mazovian Voivodeship Local Government, the organizing body of the State Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw.
