Denys Voitsekhivskyi / Денис Войцехівський (2004) lived in Kyiv and studied industrial design at Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture prior to the war. He fled his hometown with his mother at the beginning of the Russian invasion, on February 24, 2022. He got to Prague thanks to a job offer his mother had received, so he applied for one of the programs for Ukrainian students. After passing the entrance exams, he has spent one term at the Studio of Industrial Design and subsequently transferred to the Studio K.O.V. There he could discover his interest in a freer form of creation in the field of applied arts and eventually created a brooch for the first lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska. The newly awakened love for jewelry design has led him to France, where he currently resides and creates. Although, according to Denys, the Russian invasion of Ukraine does not resonate in French society as much, and he misses the home he cannot visit.
KATEŘINA KLÍMOVÁ’S INTERVIEW WITH DENYS VOITSEKHIVSKYI, AUGUST 2024
Kateřina Klímová: Denys, let’s start at the beginning. What did your journey to Prague and UMPRUM look like?
Denys Voitsekhivskyi: We got to Prague through Poland. We left Kyiv on the day the Russian invasion started, on February 24, and went to Poland first. My mom got a job offer in Prague, so that’s how I got there too.
KK: And did you apply to UMPRUM based on the call for students from Ukraine?
DV: Yes, there were internships for Ukrainian refugees. So I applied and was admitted.
KK: And what studio did you apply to?
DV: Studio D1 – industrial design with Ivan Dlabačov. I had studied industrial design back at home in Ukraine at Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture. However, the content of the program was different, and we designed architecture in addition to the products. In Prague, the assignments were more rigid.
KK: And that didn’t suit you?
DV: It was just something I hadn’t expected. Therefore, after one term, I agreed with the heads of the studio that it would be appropriate to try a more artistic studio.
KK: How did you end up at K.O.V. Studio led by Eva Eisler at the time? Have you gravitated towards jewelry design before?
DV: Not really. I was just looking for a more artistic studio with some free capacity. And Eva accepted me.
KK: And while in the studio, you also designed the brooch dedicated to Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska. Can you tell me more about the project?
DV: It was my end-of-year final project and originally, the assignment was to create a brooch for the Czech first lady. So, obviously, that wasn’t my first lady, so I dedicated my design to Olena Zelenska. There was also an intern from Italy in my studio who designed for his first lady.
KK: Was it important for you that you could relate to your nation?
DV: It was completely natural. I was happy to design something that had meaning for me.
KK: I read the article included with the final project showcase at UMPRUM on-line, and it said that Eva Eisler drew on Madeleine Albright’s book Read My Pins when formulating the assignment. What does the brooch for Olena Zelenska say?
DV: It’s a grenade fragment on nickel silver sheet. The base measures 48 square centimeters that symbolize 48 million Ukrainians affected by the war. It is meant to be a clear reminder to anyone who meets Olena Zelenska that there is still something happening in Ukraine, that there’s war and suffering. It is meant to be an instrument of international politics. A memento.
KK: And the piece of grenade? Where does it come from?
DV: It is a fragment from an explosive that blew up in our neighborhood, a short distance from my former home in Ukraine. A friend of mine, who still stays there, sent it to me.
KK: Did you send the brooch and its story to Olena Zelenska? Did she respond?
DV: Unfortunately, a strange thing happened, and the brooch was lost. In that year, Eva Eisler was handing over the studio to new heads and the work simply disappeared. It happened to another foreign student as well.
KK: I’m so sorry about that. I wouldn’t give up trying to find your artwork yet. Apart from that, do you view your studies at UMPRUM positively?
DV: The teachers were mostly kind and helpful towards Ukrainian students. They did what they could to empathize. I felt support, I felt safe. There were some uncomfortable situations, but these did not affect only us from Ukraine specifically.
KK: So it had nothing to do with your nationality?
DV: No, it was rather this general idea of an UMPRUM student as an elite artist who appreciates being at a prestigious academy and works hard to prove it. Some of the teachers kept stressing that. The teaching system here is a lot different than at Kyiv University, I’m glad I got to experience that.
KK: Do you think it’s less systematic and more individual?
DV: Yes. But on the other hand, it didn’t really matter to me that I was studying with the best students from the Czech Republic. I was thinking: “So it’s my privilege to be here? There’s a war back home and I didn’t choose this. It was beyond my control.” In the end, I decided to end my studies and move to France.
KK: And what do you do in France?
DV: I design jewelry. The individual approach and practical lessons at UMPRUM helped me a great deal. Andrei Navumenka, head of the workshop, strongly influenced me and taught me a lot and that’s why I’m still doing jewelry.
KK: Do you project your background into your work? What you’ve experienced or what’s happening in Ukraine?
DV: Here in France, the war doesn’t resonate with people. Ukraine is a long way away.
KK: As regards you personally – I hope my question doesn’t come across as hurtful, if it does, I’m sorry and you don’t have to reply – how do you relate to the events at home?
DV: I miss my home; I miss my friends. The worst part is I can’t visit my country, my neighborhood or friends, because men over 18 aren’t allowed to leave the country. Whereas my friends, the girls, they can come home for visits. They can meet their families, friends, walk around their neighborhood. Unfortunately, I can’t.
