Kitchen as Witness

The workshop takes place within the installation Let Us Cook. Participants will prepare kutia and uzvar, two traditional Ukrainian ritual dishes prepared for Christmas Eve, when the living gather at the table with those who are absent.

Kutia, which is made from wheat, poppy seeds, honey, and nuts  is the first dish served during the winter ritual meal. It symbolizes continuity, remembrance, and hope. Uzvar, a drink made from dried fruits connects winter with summer, preservation with waiting.

In October 2025, as a result of a Russian missile attack, the artist’s family apartment in Kyiv was damaged. The kitchen, a space of everyday life and gathering, was among the most affected parts of the home. The last time the artist was in this kitchen before it was altered by the war was during Christmas in 2022, when kutia and uzvar were prepared together with the family. This workshop is connected to that memory and emerges as an attempt to bring back sensations of home and to share them with others.