Photo: Olha Volynska

When art travels: eco-bags as moving stories

Margo Sarkisova is an artist from Pokrovsk. Her story of displacement began back in 2014, when she left Donetsk due to the occupation and moved to Kharkiv. Following the full-scale invasion, she relocated again – first to Lviv, and later to Graz.

“I have a long history with this,” Margo says. For the Ukrainian artist, movement has ceased to be a choice and has become a state.  This prolonged, exhausting, yet profoundly transformative experience gave rise to her work Growing in Both Directions.

The piece is a graphic work taken from a sketchbook created this summer, between Paris and Brussels. It forms part of a series in which the artist explores the transformation of the body and consciousness under conditions of constant movement, stress, and the loss of a basic sense of safety.

“Growing in both directions, for me, means stretching towards the sky while simultaneously taking root in the ground,” Margo explains. “But it is not only a metaphor. It is also an attempt to hold on to the moments we live through every day. The trauma of constant movement creates a sense of vulnerability. My work is about the desire to hold on to every moment in which you feel stable or manage to regain that stability. This kind of growth is desperately needed today, for every one of us.”

This work became one of four designs printed on eco-bags as part of an initiative by Office Ukraine. This project brings together art, collective action, and practical support for Ukrainian artists in Austria.

Open House as a space for action

The eco-bag art initiative emerged within the framework of Open House – regular community meetings organised by Office Ukraine since March 2022. While their format has evolved, the essence has remained unchanged: to meet, exchange experiences, and do something meaningful together.

This time, the gathering took the form of a silkscreen printing workshop. The idea was simple: instead of outsourcing the printing to an external company, everything would be done by hand.

“We already created eco-bags like this in 2023,” explains Nastia Khlestova, Community Coordinator of the Office of Ukrainian Artists. “Back then, we commissioned artworks from Ukrainian artists living in Austria, produced our own merchandise, and raised donations to support artists. That edition has now sold out, so we created a new one. This time, it was important not only to involve artists but also to print everything together. It brings people together and offers a chance to learn something new.”

Four artists, one shared story

Four Ukrainian artists took part in the initiative: etchingroom1, Olia Fedorova, Lilya Petrova, and Margo Sarkisova. Each bag is unique, as the motifs were applied by hand using a silkscreen printing technique, resulting in four distinct designs.

While the artistic approaches differed, the themes were united by a shared experience: war, forced displacement, bodily and emotional memory, and the search for new forms of resilience.

Margo’s work is very universal. It is not only a story about one individual, but about an entire generation of Ukrainians living between countries and cities, between past and future, between trauma and healing.

How solidarity works in practice

The project became possible thanks to a chain of interconnected yet straightforward actions. Some volunteers provided the space, others supplied silkscreen frames and ink. The graphic designer Ciara Mooney, a lecturer at Graz-Ortweinschule, for instance, made a significant contribution by preparing the silkscreen frames.

“The only challenge,” Ciara shares, “was that besides the image itself, we also needed to add text – and to do so in a way that ensured the title of the work and the artists’ names wouldn’t get lost on the fabric.

I used a bold typeface, but that was really the only special feature. I prepared everything in advance, and in the end, it worked perfectly. I found the idea behind these artworks absolutely wonderful. In this case, the artwork doesn’t remain in one place – it can travel. That’s what I love about printmaking: it’s mobile and connects people across countries and cultures. I was thrilled to be part of this initiative.”

Unlike gallery pieces, these images do not stay on walls. They enter the city. Today in Graz, tomorrow in Vienna, the day after in Paris or Rome. The bag becomes a carrier of stories. It can be gifted, taken on a journey, filled with everyday items, and yet carry art.

“For some, it’s just one phone call, but for us, it’s a great help.”

This principle – doing what comes easily to you – has become a key approach within the Office Ukraine community. When everyone contributes what they can, even complex things become possible.

“I reached out to my friend Josef Fürpaß, who taught at Ortweinschule Graz and had been helping Office Ukraine for a long time,” says Johanna Hierzegger, a representative of Office Ukraine Graz. “He helped us find Ciara. For us, this was a huge support, because we don’t have these kinds of resources ourselves. I really like it when one hand helps another. The idea is simple: if you can help with something that comes easily to you, helping stops being complicated.”

Johanna became part of the Office Ukraine Graz team from the very first days of the initiative. When the full-scale invasion began, as a member of the Theatre im Bahnhof, she wanted to help because she could not remain indifferent to others’ suffering. Over time, however, it was precisely her strong connections within the artistic community that made her indispensable to the team.

“I think this is what I’ve learned at Office Ukraine,” Johanna reflects. “If you simply give what is easy for you to give, it doesn’t require excessive effort. Yes, it takes time and energy, but overall, it’s quite straightforward. I believe we should all ask ourselves more often what exactly we can do – and then many things become easier.”

Support that is not always visible

The proceeds from the sale of the bags support the activities of Office Ukraine, providing flexible assistance for Ukrainian artists in difficult situations – not only professional, but also everyday, legal, or medical.

This kind of support is not always spoken about publicly. Yet it is precisely this quiet, everyday help that enables many to continue working and living. The bags can be purchased on the organisation’s website, allowing buyers to make their own contribution to supporting contemporary art.

Margo speaks of growing in both directions; Office Ukraine speaks of collective action. Together, they form a single story – about art as a source of support, memory, and solidarity.

Today, Office Ukraine is a significant support initiative for Ukrainian artists in Austria. Since its founding in 2022, it has brought together over 1,700 artists and cultural professionals and has realised more than 270 events, exhibitions, and projects across the country.

Olha Volynska