Embroidered with Pain
Rushnyk-style cloths encode testimonies of survivors of wartime sexual violence; shown at railway stations in 2023, then in the US (Marquette University, Jan–Feb 2026).
What the sources say
"Embroidered with Pain" presents six hand-embroidered reproductions of Ukrainian rushnyk tapestries that encode the testimonies of wartime sexual violence survivors. Traditional symbols represent collective stories of violence committed by Russian occupiers. The project was developed by Ukraine’s One Health for the Mental Health for Ukraine project, with support from the Ministry of Health and the UK Government.
The exhibition opened in 2023 at railway stations in Kharkiv, Dnipro, Sumy, Odesa, and Chernihiv. Visitors can scan QR codes to read the full stories and learn the history of the symbols. The project also connects survivors to the Dali Ye platform for medical and psychological support. The tapestries are scheduled to be shown at Marquette University in Milwaukee in early 2026.
- Type
- Memory project
- Where
- Ukraine · United States — Kharkiv, Dnipro, Sumy, Odesa, Chernihiv; Scottsdale AZ; Milwaukee WI
- Year
- 2023
- Organizer
- One Health (Mental Health for Ukraine), with Ukraine's Ministry of Health
- How far we checked
- Source readWe opened and read the source page.
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