Nora Reichhalter

Being a stranger in a new country, with no idea of what the future holds. Creating a home in a new environment: For yourself, for your children, for your family. The concept of homeembodies more than just a specific place; it is a complex network of physical, emotional and social dimensions.

The HOME Residency Program*), which was created in cooperation with the art institutions < rotor > Center for Contemporary Art from Graz and 127 garage from Kharkiv, deals with this very topic. The initiative brings together five artists from Ukraine with five Ukrainian artists living in Graz who are supported by Office Ukraine.

The organization Ridna Domivka in Graz provides the program with its premises for workshops. Participants in these programs are displaced children and families from Ukraine. In the workshops, they deal intensively with the topic of HOME, reflect on its meaning and exchange ideas. The Ridna Domivka association has been committed to offering displaced mothers and their children since the outbreak of the full-scale war not only material assistance, but also a form of home – a place of arrival and emotional support.

The association was founded by five committed women in 2020. Galyna Skotnik, the chairwoman of the association, explains: “We were more and more people in the Ukrainian community in Graz, so we decided to establish an association.”

The name of the association, explains Galyna Skotnik, was chosen carefully: “We wanted something special that doesn’t exist in the German language. The attribute ‘Ridna’ roughly means bodily, physical, native. ‘Domivka’ roughly means home. It doesn’t have to be associated with a house, it can simply be a place where you feel safe and comfortable at the moment. And for the Ukrainians who have fled, this is something they naturally miss, as their home has been left behind somewhere thousands of kilometers away. But the association aims to create exactly this feeling.”

Since the outbreak of the full-scale war, the association has grown rapidly. The city of Graz supported Ridna Domivka by providing space for it in the Annenstraße. Galyna Skotnik remembers: “It was immediately clear to us that we had to help displaced people from Ukraine.” In the early months, the association concentrated on the urgently needed donations in goods provided by Austrians. However, Ridna Domivka soon realized that Graz already had many similar offers. The founders looked for a new way to help displaced people from Ukraine. The idea of a painting studio was born, initially intended only for displaced children. Galyna Skotnik explains the background: “I noticed that many, many children, especially children from the city, attended painting schools in Ukraine. And the parents were always asking if there is anything similar in Graz.”

The courses were a great success. The association now offers six courses for children of different ages. “The painting courses are a place for the children to switch off for a while. I’ve often been told by the moms that it’s like therapy for the child. It allows them to briefly forget what they’ve experienced and to relax. A moment of normality. And in my opinion, this is also a kind of protection for the children,” explains the chairwoman. Ridna Domivka now counts over 70 children.

But mothers also receive help from the association. “We noticed very quickly that people need psychological counseling and that they are looking for it. And for a very long time, this was not possible in Graz in Ukrainian language,” explains Galyna Skotnik. In cooperation with the Women’s Service Graz, a psychological service was created together with female psychologists trained in Ukraine. “There was a lot of interest in a very short time. The colleagues work a lot and the service is really needed. This is the protection that we as an association can offer women and mothers,” says the chairwoman.

But sometimes it’s also simply talking to each other, exchanging ideas, which is what mothers often desire. The women can chat over coffee and cake at weekly meetings and discuss problems or concerns with like-minded people. For many women, it is also a great relief to be able to leave the child for just an hour and simply have time for themselves, explains Galyna Skotnik.

The activities offered by the association are wide-ranging and include painting classes, film evenings, fitness and dance for children and women. Galyna Skotnik underlines the value of these activities: “It was important for us to offer a kind of arrival. That the people who come to us have a place where they can come and feel at home.”

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*) The HOME Residency Program explores the theme of HOME as a complexconcept combining physical, emotional and social dimensions. The project provides a platform for artistic expression, cultural exchange, and community engagement, responding to the consequences of the war. The artistic projects created during the HOME Residency Program are displayed in 20 light boxes in Graz in February 2024.

The HOME Residency Program is supported by:
“Culture Helps” is a project co-funded by the European Union under a dedicated call for proposals to support Ukrainian displaced people and the Ukrainian Cultural and Creative Sectors. The project is a cooperation between Insha Osvita (UA) and zusa (DE).