Generational Joy
In Search of a Family Album Unmarked by Loss
By Tetyana Maryshko
“I come from afar—from weighty ancestry. I who come from the pain of living. And I no longer want it. I want the vibrations of happiness. I want the impartiality of Mozart. But I also want inconsistentcy. Freedom? It’s my final refuge, I forced myself to freedom and I bear it not like a talent but with heroism: I’m heroically free. And I want the flow.”
- Aqua Viva, Clarice Lispector
The journey into the heart of this month’s family archives project felt like stepping into a labyrinth of emotions. Ideas ebbed and flowed, veering towards the well-trodden path of generational trauma. The weight of war hung over and loomed large with the parallels that could be drawn and photographed — my parents generation, moulded by its harrowing grip, and now, my niece and nephew, children of war, unwitting heirs to the same legacy. The instinct to craft art from pain was second nature, yet an inner voice rebelled against this familiar path. A visceral protest, a cry from the depths: "Enough with the fucking trauma!"
Then, a vivid memory resurfaced — an 8-year-old version of myself, basking in the golden glow of a sun-drenched family seaside retreat. In that moment, I was unburdened, untouched by the weight of the world. It was the last summer I would spend with my father, a memory that would soon become a cherished treasure. His sudden passing turned my world upside down.
Ours is a generation labeled as cycle breakers, and in that moment, a thought took root: What if I held the power to sever this chain of generational trauma?
So, I leapt. Drawing from the boundless spirit of that 8-year-old, I steered this project into uncharted waters. What if I hadn't tasted the bitter loss of my father? What if my life was untainted by the weight of generational pain? What would she see, what would she notice? How would she frame life through the lens?
Armed with two rolls of film and the assistance of my 9 year old son, we took photographs collaboratively, we wove a new tapestry, a family album unmarked by loss.
It was a venture into the unknown, a deliberate step towards rewriting our story.
This is generational joy.
This is resistance!
Tetyana Maryshko is an Irish Ukrainian photographer and visual artist.
Her motivation lies in capturing the magic of vulnerability in the most ordinary of moments, merging both personal and relational to create captivating explorations rooted in emotions.
Both Ukraine and Ireland show a clear influence on her work. From Ukraine, she carries a deep empathy and respect for the past, a strong determined will to move through the world with dignity and grace; elements handed down through the fortitude of the older generations of women who share her name.
The Irish influence is witnessed through the intensification of her dark wit and the allure of the Irish littoral landscape’s haunting poetry and mercurial ambience.