My journey with jewellery began in 2008, after a workshop in Kyiv sparked my curiosity about working on a small, intimate scale. What started as experimentation soon grew into a deeper fascination with adornment as both object and cultural expression.
My interest truly ignited while curating a fashion show of traditional Ukrainian clothing. Immersing myself in the richness of these garments led me to closely study traditional Ukrainian multi-row jewellery — its structure, symbolism, rhythm, and presence. These pieces are more than decoration; they carry history, identity, and a strong visual language.
Since then, I have created hundreds of jewellery pieces, each one informed by that tradition while shaped through my own contemporary sensibility. Working at this scale allows for precision, repetition, and variation — a dialogue between heritage and personal expression.
Jewellery, for me, is another way of telling stories through form and material — wearable, tactile, and closely connected to the body.
True Blue & a Little Bit of Yellow, in collaboration with CBD Gallery, presented a fundraising exhibition in the heart of Sydney titled A Love Letter to the Ocean. Created by five artists of Ukrainian heritage, the exhibition was dedicated to the water element and to a shared love of the ocean. Working across different styles and mediums — from ancient techniques and classicism to impressionism, divisionism, and fine art photography — the artists invited viewers to dive into blue, touched gently with yellow. We extend our sincere gratitude to Xiaoxiao Zhang for her invaluable support in providing CBD Gallery as the venue for this fundraiser, and for her continued support of Ukraine. The exhibition was held at CBD Gallery, Sydney, from 6–19 October 2023
In August 2024, more than 725 guests gathered at Sydney Town Hall to mark the 33rd anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence, standing together in solidarity, pride, and unity. The event, organised by the Ukrainian Council of NSW, unfolded as a powerful theatrical performance sharing Ukraine’s history, culture, and resilience. I took part in the program through live sand animation, accompanying the story of Illia — a brave Ukrainian boy who shared his lived experience on stage. As Illia spoke in front of the audience, I illustrated his words in real time with sand, allowing the images to emerge and dissolve alongside his voice. The story was deeply moving — painful, yet filled with hope for a better future. Working with sand live on stage brings its own challenges. Under pressure, with nerves and lights, even something as simple as sand becomes unpredictable — warm palms, fine grains sticking to skin, moments that cannot be undone. But perhaps that fragility is exactly what made the experience so honest. Illia’s story was shared with remarkable courage. At just twelve years old, he stood before the audience to tell the truth of what he had lived through. A video of this performance is available, featuring Illia Kyrychenko, with sand animation by Tetiana Koldunenko, and script, direction, and filming by Kateryna Kyrychenko. It was an honour to be part of a moment where story, image, and human strength met on one stage.
