Contemporary Ukrainian Crafts | Traditional crafts in a modern interpretation | Anastasia Biletska, Mykhailo Bokotei, Galyna Istomina, Zinaida Kosytska, Tatyana Solovey, Olga Yamborko, Ulyana Khromyak, Lucia Bondar

According to the oldest American dictionary Merriam-Webster , the word “authentic” became the most popular in 2023. Such interest was caused by global discussions around artificial intelligence, personal identity and the influence of social networks. These topics resonate with the deep processes of self-awareness that Ukrainian society is experiencing, especially in times of threats to statehood and national existence. Against this background, the book “Contemporary Ukrainian Crafts | Traditional Crafts in Modern Performance” acquires special importance, which is truly remarkable.

This is not just a publication about folk art - it is a sincere story about the thousand-year tradition of Ukrainian crafts and about modern masters who preserve and rethink this heritage. They not only recreate the techniques of their ancestors, but also form a new cultural code, weaving modern meanings into crafts. The book is also a kind of chronicle of our time, in which living voices sound - the stories of people who, through creativity, find themselves, their calling and create beauty that gives joy to others. All this is the embodiment of the traditional Ukrainian love for manual labor, the desire to create and pass on knowledge from generation to generation.

The book’s eight chapters introduce the most distinctive trends in Ukrainian crafts: ceramics, carpet and tapestry weaving, home textiles, vytinanka, wood carving, candlemaking, handmade furniture, and ironwork. A separate chapter is devoted to the creative reinterpretation of materials. This is the first volume in a series exploring Ukrainian craft in household items. The next edition will focus on clothing and jewelry.