Paul Wirhun Mixed Media

‘I have been working on eggshells since I was 8 years old, learning the traditional Ukrainian art of pysanky from my mother. This artistic and cultic use of eggs informs my work to t...

‘I have been working on eggshells since I was 8 years old, learning the traditional Ukrainian art of pysanky from my mother. This artistic and cultic use of eggs informs my work to t...

‘I have been working on eggshells since I was 8 years old, learning the traditional Ukrainian art of pysanky from my mother. This artistic and cultic use of eggs informs my work to t...

‘I have been working on eggshells since I was 8 years old, learning the traditional Ukrainian art of pysanky from my mother. This artistic and cultic use of eggs informs my work to ...

"USA, 2022" uses the brittle, fragile nature of eggshells to speak to my concerns of the state of our democracy in these times. The red stripes are made with brown shells; the darker tones of the 'X' in the flag design are the outer sides of these shells, marking the stain of racism that remains within our body politic. ‘I have been working on eggshells since I was 8 years old, learning the traditional Ukrainian art of pysanky from my mother. This artistic and cultic use of eggs informs my work to this day - as I believe that eggs are events - not simply objects. The shells (while the protective casing for the new life inside) are memories of the primal events that produced the eggs, intended as new life. In order to infuse new life into this ancient folk art, I have manipulated traditional processes with innovative dyeing & brush techniques, and etching, to forge a new visual language to write on this versatile, organic sphere. The facility of the shell for a range of techniques (batiking, scratching...