Noble Seggie

March 15 – April 26, 2024

Writing pysanky ( Писанки, Ukrainian “easter” eggs) is a craft that has existed for hundreds of
years, long before the Christianization of the region that is modern day Ukraine, when they were
used as ritual objects in spell casting. Each symbol and colour held meaning, and the writing of
symbols onto the shell of the egg imbued it with magic. Nowadays, the meanings have been
lost, but the practice and symbols have survived through countless occupations, cultural shifts,
and attempts to erase Ukrainian cultural identity.

In Пора Вставати (which translates to “time to wake up”), I’m exploring an alternate past and
present for myself and others in the Slavic diaspora, based on my own experiences as a
third-generation Ukrainian Canadian and in an imagined, fantastical history where magic and
the Old Ways were not taken from us. The viewer is invited to peer in through Baba’s kitchen
window to where she is preparing to welcome Spring back after the long winter. Among her
preparations are the spells and talismans she writes – her pysanky, adorned with the same
symbols the ancestors used in their own magic-making.

This installation is meant as a resistance in the face of on-going cultural erasure at the hands of
the Russian government and a reclamation of cultural heritage taken away in service of
colonialism in Canada. My hopes are to bring awareness to our unique identity and history at a
time when it is once again being threatened. Слава Україні.

Noble is an artist of eclectic interests living, working and creating in Mohkinstsis/Calgary,
Alberta. Their work sits at the intersection of memory and imagination, of history and fantasy,
and seeks to explore identity, connection, and the stories we tell.

The expanse of their practice is broad, with a “try anything once” philosophy; in addition to their
current work with pysanky (Ukrainian Easter eggs), they also work with textiles, needlework,
block printing, painting, and illustration.

During their time at University of Calgary pursuing a B.Sc in Biology, they researched visual
communication in science, scientific illustration, and the use of drawing as a learning tool in the
sciences. They also published scientific illustrations and diagrams for use as teaching material.