House Of Storks: Belarusian Starts Unique Art Area In Warsaw

It’s located in Żoliborz - an affluent neighbourhood of Warsaw.

An area for fashion-keen Belarusians has appeared on Adam Mickiewicz Street in Żoliborz - an affluent neighbourhood of the Polish capital.

There are designer products behind the shop glass and its name in three languages: Belarusian, Polish and English. “We invite everyone who wants to learn more about Belarus,” said the owner and founder of the art area Volha Kardash.

More than just a store

Volha had her own clothing store in the center of Minsk. She created a series of T-shirts with the logos of enterprises where strikes took place during the August 2020 protests in Belarus. This was the designer’s last project in Belarus: she did not want to live in an unfree country. She moved to Poland In September.

She is making her long-standing dream true in Warsaw now - she created a platform where you can get acquainted with the work of artists, and furniture, clothing and accessories designers, to buy something and learn something new.

“I named it “House of Storks”, because storks are my old love,” says Volha Kardash. “That’s the headliner of my brand. I have always worked with storks and I’m going to keep doing it, and today you can see clothes from my various collections here. In general, the stork is a very important bird for Belarusians, and for Poles either. Also, taking into account the fact that Warsaw is a transit city through which many tourists pass, we want our space to be interesting for foreign guests as well. So that people from different countries get acquainted with the creative life of Belarusians.

You can see and purchase clothes, jewellery and paintings and also order furniture at the House of Storks, there are samples. That’s not the only difference between the art area and a typical art store or showroom.

Belarusian readers are welcome here

House of Storks should also become a small bookstore. Anastasiya Hancharova is doing it. She launched a debating club in Warsaw and is now also looking for opportunities to start the sale of Belarusian books.

“I attended the Pradmova Festival and met many authors and now I’m planning how to deliver Belarusian books to Warsaw. I would like people to know for sure: their works are on sale at the House of Storks. After all, we understand that those who found themselves abroad by fate, in exile, will come to us. There should be a “place” for them where they can buy a Belarusian book so that they don’t feel so strongly that they are isolated from their homeland,” says Anastasiya.

The first of the literary novelties that has already appeared on the shelves is “The Travels of Benjamin III” with illustrations by Mitia Pisliak, a Belarusian illustrator living in New York.

Another idea that they want to implement at the House of Storks is presentations of books with the participation of authors, and social meetings with aspiring Belarusian writers.

The first master class will be dedicated to straw mobiles

Among the author’s works presented at the House of Storks are unusual earrings in the form of straw mobiles, a traditional Belarusian decorative design made of straw. There is a tradition to make straw mobiles (pavuk or spider) before Christmas and attach it to ceilings as a talisman against evil forces, also, the talismans are to be burned a year later, to change for new ones in homes. This tradition inspired the Belarusian designer Anastasyia, creator of the Сanva brand:

“I love working with straw, and I also have straw earrings. One day I thought: what if I made spider-like earrings? I found light metal, I have earrings both aureate and dark. This is the main profile of my work - spiders, amulets, and I put an explanation of what this symbol is about in each bag for customers to know. Just for Halloween, one of these days, I will be holding such a spider coven here, a master class on straw mobiles. They are made before Christmas, but why not now - when such dark magical evenings are coming.”

Anastasiya had been selling her works in the souvenir shop of the art museum and at craft fairs in Minsk. There were many trading opportunities, but I had to leave after the 2020 events. Now the girl is creating straw works and collaborating with the Houses of Storks and other Belarusian venues. The straw, however, is now Polish. But the tradition is native.