KYIV – VENICE: Amina Saudi Ait Khai in dialogue with Oksana Bryukhovetska

Heritage of the Land

In the practices of Amina Saoudi Aït Khay, presented at this year’s Biennale, and Ukrainian contemporary artist Oksana Briukhovetska, the flower transcends its decorative function to become a vessel of memory, land, and lived experience. Rather than depicting blossoms literally, Saoudi Aït Khay explores their essence as a process of becoming, unfolding through improvisation, natural materials, and knowledge passed down across generations. Her textile works preserve the memory of the landscapes of Morocco and Tunisia, while drawing on the tradition of carpet weaving as a repository of women’s histories and cultural continuity.

Oksana Briukhovetska likewise approaches the flower as an image of memory and belonging. In her textile collages, Ukrainian flowers become symbols of the homeland, of beauty that endures despite hardship, and of community shaped through collective care and shared labour. The two artists are united by their engagement with textiles, which emerge not merely as a medium but as a site of memory – a way of sustaining connections between body, land, culture, and generations, while restoring traditional practices as vital forms of contemporary artistic expression.

https://www.labiennale.org/en/art/2026/amina-saoudi-a%C3%AFt-khay

Photo Diriyah Biennale Foundation.