Pcholka's embroidery project Maiden Names' (2018) was exhibited at the Krylia kholopa [Wings of a Serf] gallery in Brest as a part of the collective exhibition Mother Matter. It aims to restore the names of women, often several generations living under one roof, but under different surnames. By embroidering women’s maiden names on their archival images, the artist reestablishes the lost genealogies. Maiden Names became the starting point for a series of workshops that Pcholka conducted online and offline under the title Embroidery Practices. This workshop was directed against the patriarchal system that coincided with mass protests led by women in Belarus. While the process in these workshops is more important than the product, the communicative component of this ongoing group project amplifies the voices of the embroiderers and allows them to discuss pressing socio-political issues.
