Whosoever Liveth and Believeth in Me Shall Never Die (2020-2021) is Palianina’s group embroidery project that was unveiled to the public at the exhibition When Shapes Become Shadows (2021), curated by Ilona Dergach. This exhibition took place in Krynki, Poland, on August 27, 2021. In this four-meter canvas, artist Vasilisa Palianina ironically explores the imaginary agrarian myth that holds that Belarus was born from the potato root and cultivated as the embodiment of the patient peasant class. The project's participants include the following artists and activists: Mariam Astryam, Sasha Dorskaya, Sashen Galerik, Kristina Brukshpyn, Polina Siriska, Katerina Itnashevich, Anna Kruk, Ulyana Dulkina, Tatiana Karpacheva, Masha Maroz, Ira J, Tasha Katsuba, and Aleksandra Osipovich. This particular embroidery fragment features the following Belarusian language inscription: “Patria, Patriarch, grate these potatoes,” –– exploring the homonymic similarity between the Belarusian verb pateret’ [to grate] with the Latinate variants of the noun patria.
