Crimean Tatar artist moulds new path by clay in wartime Ukraine | EUROtoday

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has endured relentless air raids and drone strikes, disrupting every day life and endangering security.

Ahead of the International Day for Migration on 18 December, Elvira explains how artwork and the quiet energy of creativity have helped her by three tumultuous years.

While Kyiv bears the burden of battle, inside Crimean Tatar ceramist Elvira Demerdzhi’s showroom, her ceramics provide a fragile refuge and a reminder of dwelling.

Crimean roots

Elvira’s story begins lengthy earlier than she formed her first piece of clay. Her mom, pregnant along with her, returned from Uzbekistan to Crimea in 1989 as Crimean Tatars got here dwelling after a long time of exile.

Her grandmother, deported at aged 9 in 1944, was the only real survivor of her household.

Elvira Demerdzhi produces vessels impressed by conventional Crimean Tatar ceramics.

Elvira’s great-grandfather, combating Nazi Germany on the time, was later exiled and reunited along with her years later.

The household rebuilt their lives in Crimea, the place Elvira grew up, free to roam the southern coast they’d as soon as been torn from.

Before turning to ceramics, Elvira spent twelve years as knowledgeable dancer and efficiency artist.

Russian annexation of Crimea

After Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, she misplaced her dwelling, and displacement pushed her towards new types of expression. Drawn to one thing steadier, she enrolled in a personal ceramics studio in Kyiv and got down to be taught the whole lot she may, together with how you can run a enterprise.

Clay turned each a craft and a type of self-discovery. “When I was displaced after the annexation, I began studying Crimean Tatar lands and realized how little we really knew about the places we came from.”

For Elvira, each bit is grounded within the locations she carries inside her, reflecting the landscapes and reminiscences of her childhood and identification.

Her studio, “Aqyar Ceramics,” carries the Crimean Tatar identify of her native Sevastopol. While conventional Crimean Tatar pottery is thought for its vibrant floral ornamentation, Elvira selected a contemporary, minimalist method. She works primarily with stone clay.

Elvira Demerdzhi sells her work by her model Aqyar Ceramics.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, Elvira sought non permanent security within the Netherlands. She may have stayed, however returning to Kyiv felt essential because it was her dwelling.

In October 2025 alone, Russia launched 269 missiles at Ukraine, the best quantity recorded within the first ten months of the 12 months, in response to official figures. After such intervals of intense shelling, gross sales typically drop sharply.

Business assist from IOM

“Crafts need stability, and right now I can only dream of that for my business,” mentioned Elvira.

Even so, some days deliver small indicators of progress.

Families of army personnel attend her grasp lessons, having fun with the main focus and calm that clay calls for. Customers search for significant items. Restaurants and resorts place orders for handmade dishware.

This 12 months, Elvira acquired a enterprise grant from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which enabled her to purchase further gear and supplies. With the granny she was in a position to collaborate with different ceramists and tackle giant orders.

Elvira Demerdzhi holds dishes which mirror her Crimean Tatar roots.

Between 2022 and 2025, IOM helped over 1,800 Ukrainian micro and small companies keep afloat amid the pressures of a wartime financial system.

Rebuilding her enterprise is only one a part of Elvira’s life. She’s additionally elevating her six-year-old son, hoping to cross on their Crimean Tatar heritage when he’s prepared.

“He knows where he comes from, but I want to protect him a little longer,” she mentioned.