Which Ariel is better?

This artwork is about using household detergents imported from the West. I’ve been doing my washing in washing powders from Germany for years. When I started learning Ukrainian,  my teacher told me that there are stores with German detergents in Ukraine too, but more importantly, there are also stores with detergents from Poland. This was a great surprise to me, and from it, I drew a conclusion about the longing for the West. We all know that products from Germany work better and smell nicer. My teacher brought to class a leaflet from a Ukrainian supermarket, featuring a test of different types of Ariel washing powder. Of course, German Ariel came first, followed by Polish, and finally the Ukrainian version. When I looked closely at the Ariel logo, I noticed that it features the Star of David. In the Old Testament, Ariel means Jerusalem. In my embroidery, German laundry detergent Ariel became Jerusalem – the promised land for clothing worn in former Eastern Bloc countries.

Ritual purification, which is part of church liturgy – the cleansing of the sacred vessels – is a process similar to doing one’s washing with the use of Western washing powders. The cleaning of the towels used in the mystery of purification is done with the greatest reverence. Likewise, it is with the greatest reverence that I wash my frocks in washing powder from Germany. West is the best.