about

rufina bazlova

RUFINA BAZLOVA is a Prague-based, Belarus-born intermedia artist. She got a Master degree in illustration and graphics from the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art at the University of West Bohemia and a second Bachelor degree in stage design of Alternative and Puppet Theater from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.

She became internationally known for her series The History of Belarusian Vyzhyvanka, in which she used the traditional folk embroidery medium to depict the peaceful protests in Belarus in 2020. In 2023 Rufina Bazlova was a fellow of the ArtsLink program and spent residency at the Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago.

The artist is also known as the author of the embroidered comic Zhenokol (Feminnature), which explores the theme of feminism present in folk traditions. Bazlova is a coauthor of the installation about the Belarusian Female Triumvirate; Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, Maria Kolesnikova and Veronika Tsepkalo, who in 2020 challenged president Lukashenkos 26-year rule. The installation was created for the occasion of the political Charlemagne prize 2022 in Aachen. In August 2022 the Ukrainian president Volodymir Zelensky opened Ukraine´s week of independence wearing a shirt with Bazlova’s ornament.

Rufina Bazlova cofounded the association Stitchit, z.s. that currently works on the international solidarity project #Framed in Belarus dedicated to political prisoners in Belarus. Through the collaborative approach, Stitchit involves diverse communities and individuals in the creation process, blurring the lines of authorship and creating a platform for voices often excluded from mainstream art discourse.

Photo by Matěj Stránský

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