Alevtina Kakhidze
It seems like all the women in my bloodline know what war is. My grandmother met war when she was 21 years old; she became a soldier in WW2. My mother saw how the Russia-Ukraine war started in 2014; she got tired of it – here is her story:
https://www-pastfutureart-org.translate.goog/alevtina-kakhidze-mother-memorial?_x_tr_sl=uk&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
On the 24th of February 2022 I met the brutal escalation of this war in my village. There was shelling at the cemetery where I buried my mother and now I do not know if “she” is resting in peace or not.
I am writing these words from my studio, hearing shelling since 24 February. I have total disappointment in humans – we are still militaristic. It doesn’t matter where you are. Nevertheless, I wrote a note on my door that says: follow the example of plants - they are the biggest pacifists on our planet, they don’t kill each other as we humans do.
Alevtina Kakhidze
Born in Zhdanovka, Ukraine, in 1973. Artist, performer, curator, designer, gardener. She graduated from the National Academy of Fine Arts in Kyiv and Jan van Eyck Academie (Maastricht, Netherlands). Starting from 2018, she acts as the UN Tolerance Ambassador in Ukraine; awarded the Kazimir Malevich Artist Prize in 2008 by the Polish Institute in Ukraine. Participant of international and Ukrainian artistic exhibition projects, including the European Biennial of Contemporary Art Manifesta 10 during the time of annexation of the Crimea by the Russian Federation, 7th Berlin Biennale which was focused on politics, Moroccan Pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale “Working for Change”. Since 2009, lives and works in Muzychi village, Ukraine.