"TWO SORE MUSCLES ABOUT HEALING POWER OF A HOLY FIRE"
Instalation, 2025
Notes to the instalation:
(1) According to the belief, 5 to 10 minutes after its emergence, the holy fire does not burn people who touch the open flame with unprotected areas of skin. (source: holyfire.org) If there are any more or less rational explanations for this phenomenon, one of them may be that the heat of this fire simply compensates for the energy expended by the pilgrims on their long journey to the shrine. In thermodynamics, heat is not defined as a “form of energy,” but rather as the transfer of energy between two systems occurring solely as a result of a temperature difference.
(2) The pain in the muscles from holding a three-kilogram ceramic horse head can only be compared to the pain caused by picking up the shards of this sculpture from the ground. How can one be sure of the healing power of a warming salve if it is not an energy-transmitting heat (i.e., warm in itself)?
Like classical heat therapy, ritual practices of consecrating, activating, or healing objects with fire indirectly affirm this thermodynamic principle, since the object merely receives an excess of energy or replenishes its deficiency. Such rituals are often based on the use of fire outside its prescribed functions or handling instructions. Cut out from its original purpose, the kiln-fired warming salve becomes a ritual gesture and a manifestation of replenishment and healing.
"THE CURSE OF BIGNESS"
64-page publication (I) and a Ceramic Tile Collage (II), 2024
Although the project's name is borrowed from political and economic terminology, in this project name "Curse of Bigness" has a more social and philosophical character. This phrase was proposed more than 100 years ago to describe the negative effects that firms and corporations experience when they reach a large size and excessive concentration of influence and power. Among these effects are both those that were a real "curse" for consumers - the impact on prices and policy, and those that negatively affected the firm itself - a decrease in susceptibility to risks that may prevent them from remaining in demand.
This project is about the bigness of human - their desire to have influence on a larger range of factors and the fear of what remains now and will most likely forever remain outside this range. The theme was viewed from the point of view of the philosophical teachings of Stoicism and references to similar practices in the literature and visual culture of the post-medieval period up to the present day.
Within the framework of the project to date, the following have been created: a short reflective essay, a publication and a collage of ceramic tiles.
I. Publication
"WHAT'S BEHIND THE MOUSE HOLE?"
64-page RISO printed publication, 2024
This publication is a small curated anthology of visual and textual stories, phenomena and bittersweet reflections on them, mapping various inspirations for my research. References to philosophy, history and literature serve as a material to consider adversity and courage - significant parts of modern Being, of our diverse society in today's complex world, where only a few can look with confidence to the future. The ability to face life's trials despite one's own vulnerability to fate was the main inspiration for this project.
The first part of the publication is a small essay (soon available to read) that reveals the theme of fear of the unpredictable future. The second part is a companion text to my semester's work "The Curse of Bigness", presented at the Academy of Arts in Nuremberg. And the third part is a collectionof 4 short stories - each as one story, as one example and as a space for interpretation. The narrative is both to unearth hidden sorrows under the surface of a seemingly happy life, and to expose the pleasure under the surface of an absolutely decadent life.
II. Ceramic relief
"THE CURSE OF BIGNESS"
24 ceramic tiles, mineral glaze, wooden frame, 2024
From the publication:
«When you think of a mouse hole, the first thing that comes to mind is a cartoonish image - a symmetrical arch-like shape consisting of a semicircle and a rectangle. It is not known for certain where this form was first used to describe a mouse hole, but it is known for sure which example is the most popular and most viewed. When, at the end of the first half of the 20th century, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera decided to make a cartoon about Tom and Jerry, they did not think about the fact that the drawn mouse hole will be that recognisable...»
«Although the mouse is not a particularly memorable symbol, it has been found for a very long time, mainly in literature. She is mentioned as in Aesop's fables as early as the 6th century BC, in folk tales, in the tales of the Brothers Grim and later post-medieval works as "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" up to the 20th century with Kafka's "Josephine the Singer, or the Mouse Folk" and White's Stuart Little and Mickey Mouse. Although most of the time it is mentioned in works for children, it is almost always mentioned in a positive and/or educational context. In the 20th century, along with the invention and spread of television, the image of a mouse (or other mammal) also came into visual art...»
Accepting the fact that an object of art can be "read" (viewed, listened to, touched) and to some extent "understood" (it can evoke at least emotions, and at best also reflections), the use of symbols and signs can help develop and describe complex topics, make them more general and global. The artist can only decide whether to use these symbols or not. So, for example, instead of the fable "The Lion and the Mouse", Aesop could have written a fable about two people - the question is how many more pages would he have to write to convey the difference between a lion and a mouse in the context in which they are presented in a fable. Or Blek le Rat, who set the trend for stencil graffiti - how else could he present the current urban environment of that time and marginalised members of the society as by using rats? Or would these rats he painted in Paris have the same meaning if they were painted on a canvas against a forest background?
"WELL-WISHING WELL"
Plaster relief in a plaster box, fountain pump, 2024
Part of the exhibition "THINKING WIRES" in Städtische Galerie Schwabach
"INSIDE OF YOU THERE ARE TWO WOLVES AND NONE OF THEM CAN PLAY CHESS"
Plaster relief with casein paint, 2024
"SEARCHLIGHT I+II"
Glazed ceramic, 2024
"UNTITLED AND WATERPROOF"
Glazed ceramic, 2023-2024
"DREAMING OF PANGAEA"
Pre-diploma project @ Academy of Fine Arts in Nürnberg
76-page publication
Globalisation is commonly known as a process of a worldwide integration and unification - political, economical and cultural. One of its main signs is migration, that was caused not only by the Industrial Revolution (which is often considered as the beginning of the globalisation), but also by the terrific power imbalance and economical inequality that followed the beginning of XX century. Displacement led to the significant cultural exchange that continues to the present day. And displacement was the main inspiration for this publication.
This dossier is a collection of 6 self-written (mostly) articles that I consider interesting and unusual for deepening the understanding of such a complex process as globalisation and its impact on self-identification.
Publication was created with support of my beloved friends Ruth Brauchle and Viktar Hardziuk
Typefaces:
Kobzar KS by Hennadiy Zarechnyuk & Lukyan Turetskiy (for Kyivstar)
PP Writer - Studio Pangram
Fixel Text - Macpaw
The font on the cover is modified Shypshyna Cursive and Rutenia Italic fonts by Ukrainian graphic designer Vasyl Chebanyk
