DepartmentEurope

Життя в полум’ї (Life in Flames)

NamePainted shell casing

Artist Oksana Doroshenko (Ukrainian, born 1983)

CultureUkrainian

Date2024

Place madeKherson, Ukraine, Europe

MediumShell casings, acrylic paint

Dimensions6 × 1 1/4 × 1 1/4 in. (15.24 × 3.175 × 3.175 cm)

Credit LineMuseum of International Folk Art, Gift of Oksana Doroshenko, IFAF Collection, FA.2025.12.3

Object numberFA.2025.12.3

Collections

New Acquisitions: The Gift of Folk Art

DescriptionThe red paint echoes the flames enveloping our country,” shares Doroshenko, “while the florals emphasize the persistence of life even amidst such circumstances [...] There is power in turning a fragment of war into an object of peace.”

Born in Kherson, Doroshenko continues to witness the ongoing devastation of her city. A mother of two, her children’s school was destroyed by a Russian airstrike in 2023. “Through agony and despair, we create,” says the artist. “By painting bright flowers and patterns on shell casings, we tell the world that we remain hopeful for a prospering Ukraine.”