Framed in Belarus

The number of officially recognized political prisoners in Belarus currently reaches more than 3710 persons.

The aim of the #FramedinBelarus project is to tell about each illegally convicted citizen of Belarus and create their portraits using the traditional Belarussian technique of embroidery with red thread on a white background, and thus to record an important era of Belarusian history with a folk code ornament.

Participation in the project is a gesture of creative solidarity, allowing individuals to symbolically support those affected by the (or “by the dictatorship”) and share their stories through the non-traditional tool of political protest - cross-stitching.

The embroidery process is a long and meditative experience that allows participants to concentrate on their thoughts and feelings for a particular prisoner. By creating a portrait of a political prisoner, participants sacrifice a little time as an act of solidarity.

Already, more than 700 people around the world have become "ambassadors" of the project, stitching portraits of political prisoners individually or in groups. The final form of the project will be a collective canvas of all the embroidered portraits, symbolizing the intertwining of political events and human destinies.

The project is a continuation of the cycle "History of Belarusian Vyzhyvanka", created by Rufina Bazlova in 2020-2021, and is managed by Stitchit Association. Through the collective creative process the #FramedinBelarus project, allows individuals to speak out against injustice and stand in solidarity with political prisoners in Belarus.