Storefronts in Kyiv were dedicated to Polina Raiko: Vsi. Svoi presented an art project

22 May 12:54

The Vsi. Svoi retail chain has unveiled an art project dedicated to the work of Polina Raiko—a naive artist from Oleshky who has created one of the most recognizable visual worlds in Ukrainian art. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian", citing the company’s press office.

The store windows have been transformed into an art space featuring tributes to her paintings: fantastical flowers, birds, angels, mythical creatures, and symbols of Ukrainian cultural memory.

The project is featured in the windows of all six Vsi. Svoi stores. Additionally, the Blockbuster Mall shopping center has a separate corner dedicated to tributes to Polina Raiko’s work and the history of her creative career.

Who is Polina Raiko

Polina Raiko is a Ukrainian naive artist from Oleshky in the Kherson region. Her creative journey began very late in life: according to legend, when she was 69 years old, she was painting the gate near her house and drew a dove.

It was this simple drawing that marked the beginning of the artist’s story, who, over the course of a few years, transformed her own homestead into a unique artistic space.

For the next six years—until her death in 2004—Polina Raiko painted passionately. She decorated doors, walls, ceilings, gates, the summer kitchen, and other parts of her home. In her paintings, the following came to life:

her family;
angels;
birds;
flowers;
fantasy animals;
mythical creatures;
biblical and everyday images.

Polina Raiko created a completely original world in which bright colors overcame melancholy, loneliness, and life’s losses.

Why Vsi. Svoi turned to Raiko’s work

Vsi. Svoi notes that Polina Raiko’s work is not only an artistic phenomenon but also an important cultural symbol of Ukraine.

“It was important for us to turn specifically to Polina Raiko’s work, because her pieces are not just art but also an important cultural symbol of Ukraine. Despite personal tragedies and the war, her world remained filled with color, light, and life. Through the window displays, we wanted not only to reinterpret her images but also to remind people of the value of Ukraine’s naive art heritage and the stories that shape our cultural memory,” comments Artem Fedosov, CEO of the Vsi. Svoi store chain.

How the window displays were created

Illustrator Kateryna Stepanishcheva, in collaboration with technical designer Alona Kot, recreated the multicolored works of Polina Raiko.

The storefronts on Khreshchatyk were painted live over two days by young artists:

Danylo Smyrnov;
Paraskeva Shishman;
Maria Prodan.

A television was installed in one of the storefronts, broadcasting recordings featuring Polina Andriivna.

The display was complemented by vintage decorative elements: authentic doors and window frames from Ukrainian homes, handwoven rugs, dried flowers, jugs, and other items that evoke a sense of home, memory, and Ukrainian daily life.

The project as a return of Polina Raiko’s voice

Olena Afanasyeva, curator of the “Totem” Center for Cultural Development, emphasizes that Polina Raiko’s work should not be reduced solely to a story of loss or destruction.

“Polina Raiko is not just a page in art history, but a living part of our cultural memory. Her works have taught us to view loss not as an end, but as a responsibility—to preserve, reinterpret, and speak about it again and again. It is important not to let her legacy fade into silence or become merely a symbol of what has been destroyed—on the contrary, we must restore her voice, her light, and the context of Ukrainian identity from which she emerged,” notes Olena Afanasyeva.

Where to see the displays

The project is presented in the storefronts of all six Vsi. Svoi. stores.

Different visual designs were used at different locations:

Location	Design Feature
27 Khreshchatyk	Storefronts featuring tributes to Polina Raiko’s murals, created in collaboration with young artists
Blockbuster Mall	A corner featuring tributes to Raiko’s works and the history of her creative career
Retroville Shopping Center	Installation “The House Swallowed by Water”
Lavina Mall	Vibrant drawings of animals and flowers, complemented by buckets, grasses, jugs, and paintbrushes
Respublika Park Shopping Center	Storefronts featuring fantastical images in the style of naive art

“The House Swallowed by Water”

The podium-style window display at Retroville Shopping Mall draws particular attention. It is designed as an installation titled “The House Swallowed by Water.”

The installation consists of furniture, wall fragments, and objects that are gradually being swallowed up by water, time, and oblivion. It is a symbolic reminder of the fragility of cultural heritage and the importance of preserving it.

Watch us on YouTube: important topics – without censorship

Why Polina Raiko’s legacy is important today

Polina Raiko created her artistic world not in an academic studio, but in her own home. That is why her work is so vivid, sincere, and immediate.

Her murals are an example of Ukrainian art in which personal history is transformed into a universal language of color, memory, and love for life.

Today, Raiko’s legacy is felt particularly keenly, as her home in Oleshky has become a symbol of cultural memory that must be preserved, explored, and brought back into the public sphere.

What activities are planned

As part of the Vsi. Svoi project, creative meetings, workshops, and other activities dedicated to Polina Raiko’s work and the Ukrainian naive art heritage are also planned.

The project is implemented with the support of Olena Afanasyeva, curator of the “Totem” Center for Cultural Development.

In 2026, the Totem Center for Cultural Development received the highest European award, The European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards, for preserving Polina Raiko’s legacy.

Demo.setting agency provided the decor and support for the project.