“Golden Pretzel” is a 30 x 30 cm acrylic painting with gold leaf, created in 2026 as a miniature within the series Golden Threads of Memory. At the centre of the composition – a luminous golden pretzel – seems to hover above a softly blurred cityscape of Kyiv, like a warm, familiar object suspended between places and times. The gold leaf catches and reflects the light, adding a quiet sense of sacredness to an everyday form.
This work speaks about the fragile connection between two worlds, two homes: the life built in a new country and the one that remains forever in Ukraine. The pretzel becomes a symbolic knot that ties these realities together – something you can almost touch, while the outlines of Kyiv dissolve into a memory-like haze. The contrast between the sharp glow of gold and the diffused background creates a feeling of distance, longing and at the same time gratitude for everything that still binds you to your first home.
