Alena Grom: “Mavky. Camouflage”
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© Alena Grom
Artist’s Statement: “Mavky. Camouflage”
The project “Mavky. Camouflage’ explores the resilience and transformation of Ukrainian women during the war.
Its heroines are real women from the village of Horenka in the Bucha District, which was on the front line in March 2022 and suffered severe destruction 77% of its buildings were damaged. Despite the trauma and losses, the women united into a volunteer group called “Horenski Mavky”, weaving camouflage nets and ghillie suits for soldiers at the front.
These women of different ages, professions, and life stories became symbols of solidarity and quiet strength. Even during blackouts and shelling, they continued to weave by candlelight, believing that their work protects and saves lives. Camouflage, woven with love and faith, became a modern equivalent of the traditional Ukrainian embroidery a symbol of unity and protection.
In Ukrainian mythology, the Mavka is a female spirit who embodies beauty, connection with nature, and the power of transformation. She lives on the border between the world of the living and the dead a metaphor for women who exist today between life and destruction, caring for others and protecting their homes. The Mavky of Horenka transform grief into strength, care, and resistance. The project reflects on how the war redefines gender roles and reveals new forms of leadership. These women are not only victims of war they are creators of the future, guardians of life, and embodiments of hope.
The visual language of the series draws on the dual nature of camouflage: both concealment and revelation. It resonates with Andy Warhol’s Camouflage series (1986), where the tension between individuality and uniformity becomes a metaphor for identity. Here, camouflage becomes not a tool of disappearance but a symbol of endurance and care a paradox of protection and vulnerability.