DANYLIW RESEARCH SEMINAR ON CONTEMPORARY UKRAINE

Materiality of  Clay:
Kosiv Painted Ceramists Community and National Identity

In 2019, ceramics from the Ukrainian town of Kosiv were inscribed on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage. Today, the distinctive designs and patterns of Kosiv ceramics are widely incorporated by Ukrainian and international clothing brands, and the ceramics themselves have become a recognisable symbol of Ukrainian national identity, both at home and abroad. The paper examines what happened to the local tradition of Kosiv painted ceramics across the turbulent shift from a state-socialist to a market economy.

Yuliia Kishchuk is a PhD student at Södertörn University in Sweden.

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