In March 2018, I  curated an exhibition/show of Ukrainian historical costumes, held at National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. I was privileged to work with private collectors (Khrystyna Bailey, Roxolana Mishalova, Sonia Mycak, and others) and had a rare opportunity to hold some ancient embroideries in my hands!

My task was to combine elements by region and create costume sets for different ages and social classes. It was a bit like assembling pieces of a textile puzzle! Amazingly, though Ukraine was on the other side of the world, the team managed to piece together sets for 16 models.

My favourite endeavour was to reconstruct jewellery and headgear for all 16 sets.

This show was initiated by the Ukraine Embassy in Canberra and Ukraine ambassador’s wife, Mrs Olena Kulinich.  The audience was limited to diplomats and Australian politicians. The slides, text, music, and of course, costumes, all came together with the help of many dedicated and passionate Australian Ukrainians.