2022
Unconscious Resilience. The Odyssey
At the core of my interest lies the search for humanity’s final refuge—liberation from the fear of physical death in the name of a higher ideal.
The images that emerge in the process of working on this project resonate with Homer’s epic, The Odyssey. The central theme of this series is the hero’s return to Ithaca—a prolonged transformation that leaves nothing around him unchanged. The hero’s journey does not end with coming home; Ithaca is not the conclusion of his wanderings. In this, I find a connection between earthly life and eternal life. The hero’s link to the divine is also embodied in his access to special knowledge—most notably, when he descends into Hades hoping to find answers about the end of his journey.
Like Odysseus, a person can never remain the same after simply stepping beyond the threshold of their familiar home. Each day, they perform an act of quiet heroism, striving to stay true to themselves within the circumstances of the surrounding reality.
Thus, each new day is perceived as a journey outward, while familiar things—and the feelings tied to them—no longer remain on the same level as before.
What remains constant throughout this project is the search: for the hero, it is the search for his final refuge, the end of his journey; for modern humanity, it is the search for one’s place in the contemporary world and among others.
In this way, the figure of the hero from the ancient epic is placed alongside a similar dilemma—the impossibility of returning to the past, and the inevitability of moving forward.
The images that emerge in the process of working on this project resonate with Homer’s epic, The Odyssey. The central theme of this series is the hero’s return to Ithaca—a prolonged transformation that leaves nothing around him unchanged. The hero’s journey does not end with coming home; Ithaca is not the conclusion of his wanderings. In this, I find a connection between earthly life and eternal life. The hero’s link to the divine is also embodied in his access to special knowledge—most notably, when he descends into Hades hoping to find answers about the end of his journey.
Like Odysseus, a person can never remain the same after simply stepping beyond the threshold of their familiar home. Each day, they perform an act of quiet heroism, striving to stay true to themselves within the circumstances of the surrounding reality.
Thus, each new day is perceived as a journey outward, while familiar things—and the feelings tied to them—no longer remain on the same level as before.
What remains constant throughout this project is the search: for the hero, it is the search for his final refuge, the end of his journey; for modern humanity, it is the search for one’s place in the contemporary world and among others.
In this way, the figure of the hero from the ancient epic is placed alongside a similar dilemma—the impossibility of returning to the past, and the inevitability of moving forward.
2022
At the core of my interest lies the search for humanity’s final refuge—liberation from the fear of physical death in the name of a higher ideal.
The images that emerge in the process of working on this project resonate with Homer’s epic, The Odyssey. The central theme of this series is the hero’s return to Ithaca—a prolonged transformation that leaves nothing around him unchanged. The hero’s journey does not end with coming home; Ithaca is not the conclusion of his wanderings. In this, I find a connection between earthly life and eternal life. The hero’s link to the divine is also embodied in his access to special knowledge—most notably, when he descends into Hades hoping to find answers about the end of his journey.
Like Odysseus, a person can never remain the same after simply stepping beyond the threshold of their familiar home. Each day, they perform an act of quiet heroism, striving to stay true to themselves within the circumstances of the surrounding reality.
Thus, each new day is perceived as a journey outward, while familiar things—and the feelings tied to them—no longer remain on the same level as before.
What remains constant throughout this project is the search: for the hero, it is the search for his final refuge, the end of his journey; for modern humanity, it is the search for one’s place in the contemporary world and among others.
In this way, the figure of the hero from the ancient epic is placed alongside a similar dilemma—the impossibility of returning to the past, and the inevitability of moving forward.
The images that emerge in the process of working on this project resonate with Homer’s epic, The Odyssey. The central theme of this series is the hero’s return to Ithaca—a prolonged transformation that leaves nothing around him unchanged. The hero’s journey does not end with coming home; Ithaca is not the conclusion of his wanderings. In this, I find a connection between earthly life and eternal life. The hero’s link to the divine is also embodied in his access to special knowledge—most notably, when he descends into Hades hoping to find answers about the end of his journey.
Like Odysseus, a person can never remain the same after simply stepping beyond the threshold of their familiar home. Each day, they perform an act of quiet heroism, striving to stay true to themselves within the circumstances of the surrounding reality.
Thus, each new day is perceived as a journey outward, while familiar things—and the feelings tied to them—no longer remain on the same level as before.
What remains constant throughout this project is the search: for the hero, it is the search for his final refuge, the end of his journey; for modern humanity, it is the search for one’s place in the contemporary world and among others.
In this way, the figure of the hero from the ancient epic is placed alongside a similar dilemma—the impossibility of returning to the past, and the inevitability of moving forward.
Unconscious Resilience. The Odyssey
Story 1
2022, oil on canvas, 110х90 cm
2022, oil on canvas, 110х90 cm
Story 3
2022, paper, colored pencils, 60х50 cm
2022, paper, colored pencils, 60х50 cm
Story 4
2022, oil on canvas, 100х120 cm
2022, oil on canvas, 100х120 cm
