Stories told through embroidery: Belarusian national code

Rufina Bazlova and Sofia Tocar are an artist and curator who connect their personal journeys with a shared passion for art, activism, and cultural heritage. Their project, #FramedinBelarus, has received support from the EU-funded EU4Culture project.

Bazlova, originally from Belarus, has been living in the Czech Republic for 17 years. Her artistic journey began as a child and continued with formal education in the arts. She graduated in illustration and sculpture before completing her studies at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, where she focused on puppetry and stage design. Her connection to cross-stitching began from 2010 to 2012 during her time at the Sutnarka (Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art at the University of West Bohemia). Fascinated by Belarusian and Slavic ornaments, she began exploring this traditional craft. After spending time working in theatre and puppetry, Bazlova returned to cross-stitching in 2020, using it as a medium to tell the contemporary story of Belarus through this traditional national code.

Sofia Tocar, originally from Republic of Moldova, has been living in the Czech capital Prague for many years. She moved there to study art history, which became the basis of her professional career. Her interest in embroidery and its role in contemporary art led her to write a thesis on the subject, during which she discovered Rufina Bazlova’s work. This discovery marked the beginning of their collaboration. Over the years, Tocar has organised art residencies and curated exhibitions, many of which have focused on Eastern Europe and explored themes such as socially engaged art, artivism, and craftivism – all of which are reflected in the #FramedinBelarus project.

The story behind the collaboration of Rufina Bazlova and Sofia Tocar / Stitchit & Collective

Rufina: From the beginning I focused on creating the ‘Vyzhyvanka’ series – art that documented the protests in Belarus. I made these artworks and shared them online, where they quickly became popular. People started asking if they could embroider these designs on their own clothes or belongings, wanting to connect with the work and get involved.

In 2021, as the mass protests slowed down, the focus shifted to political prisoners, an important issue that needed attention. Out of this came the idea for the #FramedinBelarus project to raise awareness about political prisoners. It felt overwhelming at first, there were hundreds of prisoners, but I realised that getting others involved could make a big difference. That’s when I asked Sofia to join. Later, several other people joined in varying degrees to help manage the project.

Throughout the project we held 19 exhibitions and received over 600 embroideries from participants. In general, the current number of participants is over 700 people from 41 countries. We have also held 40 workshops in collaboration with cultural or human rights institutions, bringing together different people and creating space for discussion or just being together.

Sofia: I had always been interested in Rufina’s embroidery work, especially since I had written my thesis on embroidery in contemporary art.

What attracted me to this project was how it engaged people in a hands-on way, beyond just reading or reposting online. In today’s fast-paced world, we tend to stop caring or reading when we get overwhelmed. But when people contribute physically, like through embroidery, it creates a deeper connection. It’s about building an invisible network of people who really care. When we started, we weren’t sure if a large-scale embroidery project would work because of the time and effort involved. But the project has brought together people from Belarus who understand the importance, and others from places like the United States or Japan who may have been far from these events but have now become part of the story. It’s a great example of how art can bring different perspectives together.

EU support through the EU4Culture project

Rufina: We received the EU4Culture grant in July 2023, which covered half a year of our work. This support helped us to develop new skills, especially in developing ourwebsite and the structure of the project. We focused on connecting the different elements of the project and making sure that everything worked together smoothly.

Sofia: What made this support particularly effective was that it allowed us to focus on all parts of the project. The project is quite multilayered – workshops, managing tasks or simply following the project. With limited resources, we usually must focus on just one or two areas, such as building a website or promoting our work. This support gave us the time and space to develop all aspects of the project and ensure that everything came together.

Rufina: The support from EU4Culture allowed us to focus on the project and keep everything organised and moving forward. For us, this kind of support is essential because it ensures that we can continue our work without having to stop or delay due to limited resources.

Embroidery as a non-traditional tool for political protest

Sofia: Embroidery is often seen as something traditional, connected to the activities we learned from our grandmothers, feminine and not taken seriously in the art world or political discussions. But with projects like ours – and others that focus on textiles and needlework – we are showing that this is a tool for political change and a way through which you can talk about injustice. These types of projects may not bring change on their own, but together with other instruments, we can make a change. This is a way how we can communicate with people, show our vision and step by step change something, because it’s always a very long process.

Rufina: I’d add that there’s a meditative aspect to embroidery. In today’s world, where people often feel overwhelmed by the news and events happening around them, this technique can help them stay grounded and focused.

The power of art to transform society: Ars longa, vita brevis (Art is long, life is short)

Rufina: I believe that art can transform society. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be doing this work. Even when I feel exhausted or overwhelmed, the thought that there are people out there who are inspired by what we are doing keeps me going.

Sofia: I think that this Latin aphorism (‘Art is long, life is short’) is true for our project because we have already created a huge archive of over 600 embroideries. It’s an open question because what will we do with that? Also, the question is when should we stop? We’re reflecting the political events, which are quite unpredictable.

For now, we’re building this archive and wondering where it might eventually be displayed. The question is, do we already have enough material for a museum and where to open it? It’s currently stored in Rufina’s studio, but it looks like it’s staying.

Author: Elina Valaite / EU4Culture

Photos from the embroidery workshop and the opening of the exhibition ‘Intervowen Spaces’ within the project #FramedinBelarus by Rufina Bazlova / Stitchit Collective at the Mission of Democratic Belarus. These events were part of the Belarus Days, which took place in Brussels in December 2024.
© Cédric Puisney Photography / EU4Culture.

The Belarus Days were held in Brussels on 9-13 December 2024. The series of events were organised by the European External Action Service, the European Commission and the European Parliament, demonstrated the EU’s solidarity and continued support for Belarusian civil society and independent culture.

The EU-funded EU4Culture project supported Belarusian citizens and civil society, fostering resilience and social development during turbulent times, through grant schemes for mobility and cultural and cross-innovation projects.

From 2021 to 2024 the EU4Culture project was implemented by the Goethe-Institut e.V. (lead), Czech Centers, Danish Cultural Institute, Institut Français de Georgie.

[popular_posts columns_xl=”4″ columns_l=”4″ columns_m=”3″]