Konstantin Didenko is a master of decorative and applied arts, originally from Bakhmut. Before the war, he worked as a firefighter and spent his free time embroidering.
He has been "painting with a needle" for about 40 years and has created up to 100 works, including embroidered icons, portraits of hetmans, Ukrainian cultural figures, and fallen soldiers. Unfortunately, not all of his works have survived.
Suspilne Donbas tells the story of the master from Bakhmut.
"In peacetime, I actively participated in All-Ukrainian and local exhibitions of folk art masters. Embroidery was a source of rejuvenation and healing," says Konstantin.
The full-scale invasion was a turning point for his family. Their home was destroyed by a Russian missile. After that, the Didenko family was forced to move to the city of Kamianske in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
According to the master, his inspiration returned during the evacuation at the end of 2023. He had not picked up a needle for a long time because he did not have enough time due to field work in Bakhmut, and his eyesight began to deteriorate.
The master considers portraits to be the most difficult genre in thread painting. His collection already includes Lesya Ukrainka, Stepan Bandera, Taras Shevchenko, Volodymyr Zelensky, and Oleksandr Matsievsky.
Konstantin is currently working on a series of paintings entitled "War." He recreates battle scenes, military equipment, Ukrainian soldiers, and destroyed cities on fabric because he dreams of leaving behind something meaningful that will inspire others even in the future.
Among his plans for new paintings, he mentions a portrait of Shevchenko in his younger years. He does not rule out repeating the series of hetmans and painting a stele of the Donetsk region with threads. He also plans to embroider a 4-meter painting by Ilya Repin, "Zaporozhye Cossacks Write a Letter to the Turkish Sultan," on canvas with threads. He is currently working on a sketch, as this work could take up to five years.
Konstantin presents his works at personal exhibitions in the D.I. Yavornytsky Memorial House-Museum in Dnipro, and also travels around Ukraine with exhibitions of his paintings in Lviv and Kyiv. Among the works presented are embroidered icons, towels, men's shirts, Ukrainian women's costumes, experimental creative works by the master with bead embroidery, portraits of famous figures, heroes, and warriors.
During these trips, he conducts master classes for those interested and visits museums and galleries to view exhibitions by other folk artists.
The Ukrainian people are talented and indomitable!
Together to victory!