Dmytro Bagatenko’s mother was set to return home to the Sumy region of Ukraine when the war broke out, and what started as a short visit to meet her newest grandson in Canada turned into a long-term stay.
Iulianna Ievdokimova and Bagatenko, who also go by Julianna and Dima, came to Canada 12 years ago as hospitality management students, where they met one another. Since then they’ve become married tattoo artists and body piercers, opening Red Cat Studio on Bowen Road in 2018.
“I have quite an artistic family, my mom has been an artist all her life, teaching children, teaching adults and just doing oil paintings, you can just see them everywhere,” Ievdokimova said, gesturing to the covered walls of the shop. “It kind of was always in there for me, and I started doing more and more art when we were living in the Yukon, up north, so it kind of all started there. Then I learned to do tattoos, then I taught Dima to do tattoos … It’s about doing what you love.”
As the third Independence Day of Ukraine since the conflict approaches on Aug. 24, the two are raising funds for the Ukrainian charitable foundation Peace Do it which supplies living necessities for internally displaced Ukrainians. The charity supplies displaced residents with food packages, hygiene kits, bed linens and more.
To support the cause, the pair are selling a collection of oil painting art prints designed by Ievdokimova’s mother, Alla Yevdokimova, through a $50 donation to the charity, as well as donating all the profits from their in-store designer apparel merchandise throughout the month.
“All of them are very high-quality prints, water-resistant, fade-resistant ink, nice fir frame, shrink-wrapped and has a little artist card with some greeting on the back,” levdokimova said. “She’s all about bright florals, seascapes, landscapes – sunflowers are very close to her heart, it’s one of her favourite flowers.”
Ievdokimova’s own family is largely from central Ukraine, a safer part of the country. With the exception of his mother, Bagatenko said many members of his family intend to stay in their home country despite the conflict.
“They don’t want to move. They’re old-school hardcore, ‘we’re staying here no matter what,’ older generation. They’re really stubborn,” Bagatenko said. “They haven’t travelled the world like we did, it’s all they know. They’re connected to the place where they were born, because there’s a few generations of your family … in that cemetery. So it’s difficult to move on for them.”
If there was one message the two could get out, it’s to start appreciating life just a little bit more.
“As Canadians, [we] are so blessed with the good life that we have,” Bagatenko said. “Ponder on that and skip a couple of Starbucks coffees and go donate to a good cause somewhere, like ours for example, but there are many more people in need in Canada, abroad, in Ukraine.”
When the war ends, both said they plan to return to Ukraine to visit and show their children the land they grew up in.
“Having August as our independence month we thought it was a really good time to do [a charity event] like that…” Ievdokimova said. “Especially in light of the events happenings, it’s especially important to celebrate this year and any other year to come when we get a victory in the future.”
