A life between borders

Natalka Husar carries the traces of two worlds in her work. Born in New Jersey in 1951, she later found herself in Toronto, yet much of her creative focus remains anchored to the landscapes and histories of a displaced Ukrainian identity. Her early years were marked by a significant trip to Soviet Ukraine, a movement that brought her into contact with the artist Ivan Ostafiychuk. This period was defined by a long-distance correspondence between them, a way to maintain a connection while navigating the complexities of the Cold War and the watchful eyes of the KGB.

The paintings she produced during the mid-1980s often speak to these tensions. In her series titled Behind the Iron Curtain, created around 1985 and 1986, there is a palpable sense of looking through a veil. Works like Mama’s Boy and Fish on Friday use acrylic on canvas or linen to explore themes that feel deeply connected to the post-Soviet experience.

The weight of memory

Her practice involves a careful examination of what it means to belong to a diaspora. Through her brushes, the fragments of Ukrainian culture and the shadows of the Soviet era emerge. She has spent nearly five decades exploring these layers of identity, often using materials like acrylic on canvas or oil on board to ground her subjects.

Some of her notable works include:

• Mama’s Boy: An acrylic piece from 1985.
• Heritage Display: A large-scale work from 1985.
• Omen Dressed in Ukrainian Costumes: An exploration of tradition and presence, painted in 1986.
• Yesterday’s Heroes: Part of her mid-eighties series, held in the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in Winnipeg.

Presence in collections

The physical traces of her career are found in several significant institutions across Canada. Her paintings do not merely sit on walls; they occupy spaces that hold the history she paints. The National Gallery of Canada and the Art Gallery of Alberta both hold pieces of her output, such as Edelweiss/Paradise, which has been part of exhibitions like Seeing and Being Seen.

Her work remains a quiet study of the intersections between personal history and political reality. By focusing on the specifics of the Ukrainian diaspora, she captures a sense of place that is both local and much wider in scope.