Bird of Hope for Peace – interview in WhiteHot Magazine and installation in New York
- Eva Petrič
- 21 hours ago
- 3 min read
I am happy to share that an interview about my installation Bird of Hope for Peace, currently on view at the Art & Architecture Conservancy at St. Peter’s, 419 Lexington Avenue in New York, has just been published in WhiteHot Magazine.
Read the full interview here:
In the interview, Noah Becker asked me the following questions:
What does it mean for you to present Bird of Hope for Peace in New York City, near the United Nations and within such an international cultural context?
How did the history of the former forced labor camp at the Ljubelj / Loibl Pass shape the concept behind this work?
The project includes photographs documenting a performative action at the historical site. How does performance help you engage with memory and history in your practice?
How did the architecture and atmosphere of the Narthex Gallery at Saint Peter’s Church influence the way you adapted the installation for this exhibition?
Your work often connects personal memory with collective history. How did your childhood experiences in this mountain region inform the project?
How did the architecture and atmosphere of the Narthex Gallery at Saint Peter’s Church influence the way you adapted the installation for this exhibition?
Your work often connects personal memory with collective history. How did your childhood experiences in this mountain region inform the project?
In this exhibition you also reference your long-term project World Embryo. What ideas connect these two works?
What kind of reflection or dialogue do you hope visitors will experience when encountering Bird of Hope for Peace?
If you have not see the exhibition, here are some basic info:What is Bird of Hope for Peace?
Bird of Hope for Peace is a collective artwork made by Eva Petrič from nine hundreds of small handmade lace roses created by several hundred people from 11 different countries. Each rose was made by a different pair of hands, carrying with it time, care, memory, and hope. Together they formed a bird — a fragile but determined symbol of peace.
Where did the idea come from?
One of the key moments that led to the creation of the work was my visit to the former concentration camp site at Ljubelj / Loibl Pass, on the border between Slovenia and Austria. Being at that location and sensing its history had a deep emotional impact on me. The work emerged from that experience — as a response, as a memory, and as a wish for peace.
Why lace roses?
Lace is a material that carries time. Handmade lace contains hours of work, patience, repetition, and care. Many lace objects were originally made in homes, often by women, and carry personal and family histories. By transforming these handmade elements into a collective artwork, private memories become part of a shared story.
Each rose is small, but together they create something larger — just like individual actions and individual people together create society.
Collective work
Bird of Hope for Peace is not only my work.It was created by many people who contributed lace roses in response to the open call from Idrija, the origin of Idrija lace.In this way, the artwork became a collective gesture — a shared act of hope.
The bird is therefore not only an object, but a symbol of what can happen when many small gestures come together.
Why a bird?
A bird is fragile, but it can move across borders.It can carry messages.It can migrate.It can leave and return.It can connect places.
The Bird of Hope for Peace is imagined as a traveler — carrying memories from the past into the future, and moving from place to place, continuing its story.
The installation in New York
The installation is currently on view at the Art & Architecture Conservancy at St. Peter’s Church in New York, a place that combines architecture, art, contemplation, and public space. The work exists there not only as an object, but as a quiet presence — a reminder of memory, fragility, and hope.
Bird of Hope for Peace is a work about memory, about collective action, and about the possibility that even small gestures — like making a lace rose — can become part of something larger.
Perhaps peace also begins like this:
not with big decisions, but with many small acts.
As Easter approaches — a time of renewal, light, and hope —I would like to wish you peaceful Easter holidays.
Perhaps peace begins quietly, almost invisibly,
in small gestures, small acts of care, small acts of understanding —
until one day they grow wings.
Perhaps peace does not arrive suddenly.
Perhaps it is slowly made — like lace, thread by thread.
Bird of Hope for Peace
Art & Architecture Conservancy
St. Peter’s Church, 419 Lexington Avenue, New York
On view until July 31
Copyright ©Eva Petrič, 2026, Bildrecht Vienna, All rights reserved.
