About
Founder & Art Director
Ludmila Christeseva
Ludmila Christeseva is an accomplished artist and curator recognized for her commitment to amplifying female voices in the arts through international participatory and socially engaged projects.
In 2022, she courageously proclaimed: “I do not have the right to paint in the shadow of war.” Art Collection “Permacrisis” became the last painting collection she created during her artist residency at ESKFF at MANA Contemporary, New Jersey.
With the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, her studio Artten became a shelter and meeting place where displaced mothers and children from Ukraine gathered to weave camouflage nets. This experience profoundly shaped the future of L. Christeseva’s artistic practice, and her projects have since evolved into a living artistic archive of the Russo-Ukrainian war.
Her work has been exhibited in institutions including the Swedish Army Museum (Armémuseum) and the Royal Armoury (Livrustkammaren), among others.
Selected Projects
2022 — “Crafts that Unite, Heal, and Last”
A 3 x 4 meter camouflage net created from recycled textiles to support life-saving efforts in Ukraine. Exhibited at Armémuseum.
2023 — “Home”
A large-scale textile artwork created together with Turkish women, Belarusian artists in exile, Ukrainian refugees and American NGOs. Exhibited at Livrustkammaren.
2023 — “Solidarity / Women Weave for Peace”
Commissioned by the Human Rights Foundation and executed at SALT during the Oslo Freedom Forum.
2024 — “My Apple Tree Behind Bars”
A collaborative project between artists in exile, illustrated by Liliya Busarava.
2025 — “Roses of Ties”
Exhibited at Armémuseum.
2026 — “En Plats för Kvinnan”
Art installation and performance, presented at Järvaveckan.
Christeseva’s work has resonated internationally by exploring compassion, sisterhood, solidarity and collective healing through craft, participation and shared rituals. Meeting through her projects has become a way for displaced people and local communities alike to form friendships, exchange stories and discover new hopes, possibilities and emotional support.
In 2023, Ludmila Christeseva founded the NGO Artten Foundation with the mission of bringing art to every home and every heart. For this work, she received the “Impact of the Year” award from IHM Business School. In 2026, she was nominated by the City of Stockholm for the Nelson Mandela Prize for her project Roses of Ties.
Committed To Empowering Youth
A pivotal aspect of the Artten Foundation’s charitable endeavors is to empower youth participants by letting them organize and host public presentations at museums, fairs, and conferences. Our exhibitions and workshops are highly engaging, as we strive to exchange knowledge and experiences, contributing to the empowerment of women and children.
Committed To Empowering Women
Presentation
Ludmila Christeseva has developed a broad professional network in Sweden and abroad. In her curatorial work, she weaves together different actors and disciplines enabling women to meet and support each other. Her institutional exhibitions include Armemuseum, Livrustkammaren, Nordiska Museum, Swedish Embassies globally and collaborations with local cultural institutions.
In recognition of her significant impact and contributions in fostering inclusivity and allowing more people to experience the transformative power of art, Ludmila Christeseva was nominated for the Nelson Mandela Prize in 2023, 2024 & 2025. She won the prestigious Impact of the Year 2023 award by the IHM Impact Awards. Cementing her dedication to making a positive change through her artistic initiatives, she has been also nominated for the 2024 Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize.
PRESS
A Tie to the Past: How One Woman Carried Love and Memory Across Borders, 2025 https://www.kyivpost.com/post/52364
Mode på Järvaveckan: Roses of Ties: Wearing Memory https://globalbar.se/2025/06/mode-pa-jarvaveckan/
A Displaced Belarusian Artist is Helping Ukrainians Integrate in Sweden, 2025 https://www.kyivpost.com/post/47020
Ukrainian refugee women talk peace through crafts to deal with trauma of war, India, 2023 https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/art/ukrainian-women-refugees-talk-peace-through-crafts-to-deal-with-trauma-of-war/article66940773.ece
Gul&Blå: hela Sverige flätar, 2023 https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/har-ska-gamla-blagula-tyger-formas-till-protest-mot-kriget
Раз’яднанае сеціва, міжнародны кантэкст і туман невядомасці, 2024. https://reform.news/raz-jadnanae-seciva-mizhnarodny-kantjekst-i-tuman-nevjadomasci-vyniki-goda-vizualnym-mastactve
Дзе мая яблыня? 2024. https://reform.news/dze-maja-jablynja-mastachki-belarusi-vyroshchvajuc-sakrjetnae-drjeva
Жаночыя сукенкі – гэта забытыя гісторыі, 2023. https://reform.news/zhanochyja-sukenki-gjeta-zabytyja-gistoryi-mastachka-ljudmila-hrysceseva-pra-glabalny-tjekstylny-ruh-i-salidarnasc-padchas-vajny
Ludmila Christeseva: Konstnär som bygger fred, 2024. https://www.ihm.se/i-fokus/blogg/ludmila-christeseva/
Belarus: Fashion as a tool to resist the regime, 2024. https://globalbar.se/2024/05/belarus-fashion-as-a-tool-to-resist-the-regime/
Gul&Blå: hela Sverige flätar, 2023
https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/har-ska-gamla-blagula-tyger-formas-till-protest-mot-kriget
Livrustkammaren 2023
https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/art-by-ukrainian-refugees-features-at-stockholm-design-week
Ludmila Christeseva – Engaged Belarusian / Swedish artist, 2022. https://viewstockholm.com/ludmila-christeseva/
Aktion för Ukraina: Hantverk räddar liv! 2022. https://globalbar.se/2022/07/aktion-for-ukraina-hantverk-raddar-liv/
Workshops at Artten Gallery 2022
https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/stockholm/ukrainska-flyktningar-malar-agg-for-den-ortodoxa-pasken
Hantverk som räddar Liv
https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/stockholm/stockholmare-tillverkar-kamouflagenat-for-den-ukrainska-armen
2016 Dagens Nyheter, Swedish daily newspaper. “Fashion wakes memories” http://www.dn.se/kultur-noje/konst-form/mode-vacker-minnen/
2016 Odalisque magazine, a publication about fashion and photography. “Remembering through clothes” by Anne van Beers. http://www.odalisquemagazine.com/articles/2016/06/04/remembering-through-clothes-written-by-anne-van-beers
2015 The Astana Times, “Swedish Artist Explores Cultural, Gender Evolution in Exhibit at Kulanshi Gallery”, Michelle Witte. http://astanatimes.com/2015/06/swedish-artist-explores-cultural-gender-evolution-in-exhibit-at-kulanshi-gallery/
2012 Idäntutkimus, journal for Eastern European Research, Finland.
http://www.helsinki.fi/idantutkimus/arkisto/2012_3/it_3_2012_christeseva.pdf
Read more on wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludmila_Christeseva