Original artwork description:

This triptych-artwork is multidimensional. It has not only a three-part spatial structure (heaven, earthly world and dungeons), but also unfolds in time - from the past to the present.

The central figure of the composition is a monument to a miner, which is habitual to all Donetsk residents. It is like a "World Tree" that permeates all the worlds and stands at the crossroads of eras.

As an artist, I look for and explore through images various dimensions of human life - historical, personal, emotional, sensual etc. And this work is mainly an imprint of my soul, my pain for Donetsk.

The monument "Glory to Miners", which is depicted in the middle, is probably the most recognizable symbol of the city and the region as a whole. But this image is a monument, not a living person. And the image is tragic, because, like Danko, he tears his heart out of his chest and holds it out to people.

Those who are not from Donetsk may not know that in the original, a thick piece of coal in the miner's outstretched hand is a value, a gift, a resource, an energy... And a heart, like coal, and coal, like a heart, is a deep source of life. And this heart has already been sucked out by Soviet Union, an idol, which has drained these energy and resources.

And where are the people? Real people, not a monument, or a glorified image of a miner in Soviet mythology? And they are below, they are in the dungeon, they are bound by one chain. And this chain wraps both legs of the monument and legs of the woman who is tied to her husband, binding them all into one working mass, into something that is only a tool, without a personal dimension.

But I invite you to look carefully at this image of a naked woman, tied with a widow's scarf, whom the state drains all the life force, there's a child's coffin at her feet, and next to her is her dead soul... This image is suitable for a person, and for a country, and for Mother Earth...

And in the bowels of this Mother Earth, people with angel wings enter, but they are below, in the chthonic, underground world. And they cannot fly, although the presence of wings allows them to.

But even here, in the chthonic world, there is hope. A group of people in the last part of the triptych united to break this hateful chain and get out free, into the light. They help each other. They did not give up, they trust their strength and their resources - tools in their strong hands. And we can already see how in the depths, in the subconscious, the thirst for freedom is ripening, Atlant is spreading his shoulders and works to be free!

Ukraine has always been a colony for Russia, and Donbas was the quintessence of such an attitude to us, to our culture, language and heritage. In a certain way, I wanted to depict this in the guise of a snake-like creature that drags Mertsalov's Palm somewhere. For those out of context - this palm tree is depicted on the coat of arms of Donetsk, and has a very interesting history! And, of course, it was exported by Russia to St. Petersburg. And even this image I drew from a real photo - when in 2014 the building of the Donetsk regional state administration was robbed, a reduced copy of this palm tree was simply taken away in an unknown direction, and only a photo of the thief from the back remained... And all the resources and possessions of the region were mutilated, scrapped, robbed, and taken away.

The entire background of the painting is Donetsk airport bombed by the Russians, and the towns and villages of the Donetsk region wiped off the face of earth, all these ruins have a chthonic, down-to-earth character. Hopelessness under a grey heavy sky. And even our guardian angel could not withstand such a powerful onslaught of evil - his wings are broken, he sits and mourns this once blooming land, he does not have strength to protect his home from such a mass of grim plague from the side where the sun should rise... And he is desperate. All this is the personification of the tragedy of our country and our native region.

But, despite everything, despite all trials and losses, life still pulsates in the picture. The heart is alive, it is bleeding. Yes, it is broken, it is bled, maimed and partially destroyed, but we see that it is alive! People continue to fight, even in the most difficult conditions. We will rebuild our cities, we will grow new gardens and give birth to children, we will not give up, because we know the price of life and freedom! It is imprinted in our genetic memory for many generations.

No! I'm alive! I will live forever!
I have something in my heart, that does not die!
(Lesia Ukrainka)

Materials used:

acrylic, feather, gold leaf, structural paste, wax pastel, varnish

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