London

Ira Balbek

Textile sculptor | Kyiv, Ukraine

Expressing cultural codes with threads

Ira is a self-taught textile artist
She specialises in creating textile panels and decor items
Her works rethink cultural traditions in the modern context

Sometimes it takes time to embrace the craft fully. This is the story of Ira Balbek. Although Ira has been passionate about weaving since childhood, her path as a professional textile artist only started later in life. For 20 years she worked in “normal professions,” as she puts it. In 2019, Ira decided to switch to textile design full-time and has not looked back since. The first object she created was a small tapestry for her daughter. Today her works can be found in galleries in Ukraine and Europe. Her objects exemplify the innovative approach to interpreting centuries-old Ukrainian weaving traditions. Ira skillfully blends ancient and novel in her weaving by crafting objects that are fit for modernity. She is an innovator at heart with a strong sense of the land she comes from.

Interview

What is your educational background?: I do not have a professional education in my craft, I am self-taught. But I have made something out of threads for as long as I can remember. Even as a child, my grandmother taught me to knit, embroider, and sew. Then at school, I learned macramé knotting.
In what way is your craft linked to the territory?: I use the vast majority of materials in my works from Ukrainian manufacturers. I collaborate with local interior designers, creating custom panels for their projects. Also, the connection with the Ukrainian cultural tradition is important for me on a spiritual level.
What place do traditions have in your work?: My works are born from Ukrainian tradition, our context and symbols. They contain my experience from here, and I feel it is important for me to create the objects here. On the other hand, I am trying to rethink the traditions in the context of modernity.
What are your sources of inspiration?: Threads inspire me. When you like the material, your hands itch to start working with it faster. And what inspires me even more is creativity itself and the multitude of creative ideas and experiments swarming in my head, which I want and am interested in realising.

Ira Balbek is a rising star: she began her career in 2019