ABOUT
In my art I am mostly concentrated in the inner life of my heroes reflected in the surface of everyday existence and thin border between real and surreal. My approach to art has something in common with the medieval Moralité genre, where the main hero is met by personifications of various allegorical ideas, often good or evil. The main plot is the clash of opposing forces, equally inherent in human nature, where my protagonists slightly replay; turning their experiences into a somewhat poster or drama. In every Moralité, what is really important is the path of the hero from beginning to end. Analogically, as an artist, I would like to create a kaleidoscope of human existence expressed in multiple heroes and in their mythologized quotidian life. The works often seem unrelated, but they coexist as different pieces of a puzzle. After all, I would like everything to be put together into one big picture.
Now I am working on different series of works, which are “chapters” from Pandora’s conditional diaries, where the main driving motives are memories, associative thinking and games with symbolism. Pandora herself is a mythical woman from ancient Greek epics who, out of curiosity, opened the forbidden box. Thereby, releasing the sins and hardships prisoned in it. After becoming a direct witness and culprit, Pandora can do nothing else but to keep a diary and to write down her observations there or sketch them, to be more precise. While living in their own reality, my heroes come into contact with the outside world. These interactions can be contingently divided into three often intersecting groups:
Along with absorption and ingestion, frequently in my works one can see the opposite motive of opening, looking inside, hence repeating images of various cutting tools, scissors, tweezers, magnifiers. Perhaps here, my first biological formation is reflected along with curiosity left over from childhood.
3. Childhood: the period when everything is imprinted most vividly. Fictional and real experiences, heard tales and stories, fears and surprises are somehow, directly or indirectly, reflected in the present. In one of my earliest memory my mother was taking me to kindergarten and on the way she was telling about the exploits of Hercules so that I would not cry. Legends, half-fictional half-real, amazing stories and folk beliefs were always part of the worldview and in different periods and with various intensity shone through everyday life.
The world of my childhood was intertwined into patterns and rough surface: carpets in which a secret meaning seemed woven, motifs on tablecloths and sofa covers, my mother's dresses, knitted sweaters and lace, which for me is like a symbol of time. The other time stamp is the wallpaper, which I often draw in my works. A variety of wallpaper covered the apartment when I was a child so for me this is a reference to the past. I always liked their diversity, their naive illusion of exterior in the interior, as it can be seen in the most common botanical motif. Viewing all these intricate ornaments and secret signs, unraveling, divining what treasures are stored in mom’s jewel casket or where the traces in the snow lead, all these dazed observations of the world have started in childhood and continues to this day. I consider my art as the thread of Ariadne that allows me to walk through an intricate labyrinth, make plans for the future and return to the past without fear of getting lost in it.
1. The world of nature: forest, plants, animals, insects and other organic components. In some cases, they appear to be in an indivisible whole with the hero; in others they act like hostile forces trying to dominate. Some characters accept those transformations, for example, they get covered with leaves and roots that sprout in them or they can acquire tentacles or feathers. Meanwhile, others protest and try to get rid of this alien component and prefer to cut off their “tail”.
2. The world of surrounding objects or, as I call it, catalog method: a list of things and objects. On one hand, objects are signs of the material world and on the other hand the catalog shows an incredible diversity of the surrounding reality. Physical objects and things are not just the symbols. I consider them as certain strange shells for the energy encapsulated in them. In every seemingly immobile static object there is internal movement and might. Also I am deeply attracted to microscopic, subtle maneuvers or cyclical constantly recurring actions, due to which my characters hang out in time. Many of my heroes sit at the table and have food, which somehow transforms them. This is an appeal to the archaic notions that we identify with the food we eat, or we acquire through food certain properties, as in all kinds of fairy tales, where the protagonist must eat or drink something. In other cases my heroes sit in front of objects placed on the tabletop. Those are various tools that carry their own meaning, action or memory. Thus, the heroes, subjects and actions in my graphic stories often overlap and complement each other.. A regular table for me is the platform on which the action unfolds.
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