Mavka (a Ukrainian mermaid) is a female spirit, appearing in the summer in the form of a long-haired woman in a cereal field, in a forest, near water, luring a person and drowning in water.
During Green week, mavkas come out of the water and search for humans, so it was forbidden to go into the field or forest.
But there is also a belief that mavkas appear on earth at a time when the fields need moisture, and plants need the strength to grow. So they help ripen a rich harvest.
For me, the Mavkas are a way to explore a female identity. I’m fascinated by how mythology is filled with female spirits who are allowed to be wild, angry, seductive, even evil - in ways that real women in Slavic cultures often are not. In contrast, real women are expected to be kind, obedient, nurturing, and good. Through this series, I reflect on that contradiction and the freedom that these mythological figures seem to hold.
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Ask a question.
Think of something important to you — a question, a feeling, a doubt, a situation.
Open the book at random.
Let your hands flip through the pages. Pause where it feels right.
Find your phrase.
Close your eyes, move your finger across the page, and stop.
The phrase you touch is your message.
You might find an answer.
You might find a better question.
Or maybe, you'll simply hear what you already knew.
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