Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has suffered incessant air raids and drone strikes, disrupting each day life and endangering safety.
Ahead of International Migration Day on December 18Elvira explains how artwork and the quiet energy of creativity helped her get via three tumultuous years.
As kyiv bears the burden of warfare, within the showroom of Crimean Tatar ceramicist Elvira Demerdzhi, her ceramics supply a fragile refuge and reminder of residence.
Crimean roots
Elvira’s story begins lengthy earlier than she shapes her first piece of clay. Her mom, pregnant along with her, returned to Crimea from Uzbekistan in 1989 as Crimean Tatars returned residence after a long time of exile.
Her grandmother, deported on the age of 9 in 1944, is the one survivor of her household.
Elvira Demerdzhi produces vessels impressed by conventional Crimean Tatar ceramics.
Elvira’s great-grandfather, who fought in opposition to 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 from which she had as soon as been torn away.
Before turning to ceramics, Elvira labored for twelve years as an expert dancer and performer.
Russian annexation of Crimea
After Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, she misplaced her residence and her displacement pushed her towards new types of expression. Drawn to one thing extra steady, she enrolled in a personal ceramics workshop in kyiv and got down to be taught the whole lot she may, together with how one can run a enterprise.
Clay has turn into each a craft and a type of self-discovery. “When I used to be displaced after the annexation, I started to check the lands of the Crimean Tatars and realized how little we knew about our homelands. »
For Elvira, every bit is anchored within the locations she carries inside her, reflecting the landscapes and reminiscences of her childhood and her id.
His workshop, “Aqyar Ceramics,” is called after the Crimean Tatar metropolis of his hometown, Sevastopol. While conventional Crimean Tatar pottery is thought for its colourful floral ornaments, Elvira selected a contemporary, minimalist method. She works primarily with stone clay.
Elvira Demerdzhi sells her work via her model Aqyar Ceramics.
When Russia invaded Ukraine, Elvira sought non permanent refuge within the Netherlands. She may have stayed, however returning to kyiv appeared vital as a result of it was her residence.
In October 2025 alone, Russia launched 269 missiles at Ukraine, the best quantity recorded within the first ten months of the yr, in accordance with official figures. After such intense bombing intervals, gross sales typically drop sharply.
IOM Business Support
“Crafts want stability and, for now, I can solely dream of getting that for my enterprise,” stated Elvira.
Even so, some days convey small indicators of progress.
Military households attend his grasp courses, appreciating the focus and calm that clay requires. Customers are searching for significant presents. Restaurants and lodges place orders for handmade tableware.
This yr, Elvira acquired a enterprise grant from International Organization for Migration (IOM), which allowed him to buy further gear and supplies. With the grandmother, she was capable of collaborate with different ceramicists and tackle massive orders.
Elvira Demerdzhi presents dishes that replicate her Crimean Tatar roots.
Between 2022 and 2025, IOM helped greater than 1,800 Ukrainian micro and small companies keep afloat regardless of the pressures of a warfare financial system.
Rebuilding her enterprise is simply a part of Elvira’s life. She can also be elevating her six-year-old son, hoping to move on their Crimean Tatar heritage when he’s prepared.
“He is aware of the place he comes from, however I wish to defend him somewhat longer,” she stated.
