Polina Choni: Black soil

“I seek to explore the intersection of national culture, environment, and resilience by referring to the beauty of Ukrainian bread traditions.” says Choni.

Bread is not just a food product for Ukrainians; it holds a sacred status and symbolises protection, prosperity and life. In the Ukrainian tradition, there are more than 70 types of ceremonial bread, that decorates with unique symbolic patterns.

Ukraine is a country with an ancient and rich culture of agriculture. Ukrainian land is among the most fertile in the world.

However, the war launched by Russia against Ukraine inflicts irreparable damage to the Ukrainian environment. The soil requires significant time for regeneration. The natural rate of fertile soil regeneration is one centimetre per hundred years. It takes nature 10,000 years to form chernozem
(black soil). Soil is an ecosystem that relies on living organisms for its functioning. Environmentalists say that it’s not just physical damage to the soil. Another problem is its chemical damage. The explosion of every munition is a chemical reaction. The areas where military actions take place
become uninhabitable. Plants grown on such lands will be poisoned by heavy metals.

This is ecocide, the war crime that Russia is committing on Ukrainian lands. We are making every effort to ensure that Russia is held accountable for its crimes.