After several exhibitions and continuing to observe the changes and development of my installation "Temporary Permanence" I finally found time to work in the studio for the first time.
I started with what I wanted most of all. With what I had been thinking about for a very long time - oil painting. I haven't touched this concept (oil on canvas) for at least the last 4 years.
I have already described my motivation earlier, let me remind you - I rejected this medium as being outdated. But now I have accepted its limitations, like when you once accept the sound of a piano - it is unique and unrepeatable, you can play on a synthesizer, iPad or something else that imitates this sound, but only the original is the beginning. I consciously accepted the fact that oil on canvas is a historically established medium - a classic that you also need to know how to handle.
Here are just a few of my oil paintings that I did many years ago:
I needed to see what the relationship was between the installation photo,
the assembled work from newspapers and debris,
and the oil painting with scraps of debris.
Fragmented Perspectives (Temporary Permanence)
Series of photography, Fragmented Perspective, emphasises the contrast between digital media's temporary, sometimes unreliable nature and the enduring presence of physical objects. In this set of photographs taken from my Temporary Permanence installation, you can see the newspaper work interacting with the building’s wall, which is covered in colourful graffiti. The work becomes part of the space, creating a conversation between the art and its environment.
The idea behind this series is to show how art and reality connect in unexpected ways. The newspapers, representing manipulated or forgotten information, seem to blend with the graffiti on the wall, which feels spontaneous and vibrant. Together, they create a fragmented perspective of how we see and understand the world around us. This project is about more than just capturing the physical space — it’s about the dialogue between what’s temporary and what feels permanent, and how our perceptions shift when these elements come together.
Conceptually, I started taking photographs as a reflection on one of the elements of propaganda - this is tearing a detail out of context and creating a new context around it. In addition, I saw in the combination of my colour fields - my synesthetic reaction to events, and the rigid, clearly folded structures of the stone of the building - life outside of me, the system of society, laws and orders. At the same time, this building (where my installation is located) is currently an unneeded ruin.
My reaction to the photograph was this work as a reflection -
Vaporform, 2024, acrylic, newspapers, burlap, screws, cardboard, metal grid, сhipboard, paint, fixatives, wood, 68 x 48 x 8 cm.
The next step for me was painting. More precisely, I wanted to replace the colour field, use oil instead of newspapers. Working with newspapers involves meticulous, repetitive actions, and the material itself is a carrier of information and is also intended for recycling which gives additional layers of meaning and connotations.
I must say that it was not easy for me to work on the painting for the first time.
And as a result, I am still not 100% satisfied.
But I don’t want to linge this work, I’ll probably just continue with sketches (although I’ve never done them and don’t like doing them) and with more practice, I’ll achieve what I want.
My criteria for "good work", what I strive for and how I evaluate paintings by other artists:
1. Composition and Balance
Balance of Forms: How the shapes, lines, or gestures are distributed across the canvas is crucial. There should be a sense of visual balance, even if the composition is dynamic or asymmetrical.
Spatial Depth: Abstract paintings may not depict realistic space, but they can still create a sense of depth through the layering of colours and textures.
Harmony vs. Tension: Effective abstract works often play with the balance between harmonious elements and areas of tension or contrast. A good painting will hold your eye in different areas, making the composition both cohesive and intriguing.
2. Colour Palette
Emotional Resonance: In abstract painting, colour plays a significant role in evoking emotion. The combination of hues should convey mood or energy. Whether the palette is monochromatic or diverse, the choices should feel deliberate.
Colour Interaction: How colours interact—whether they clash or blend smoothly—can show mastery. In oil painting, subtle transitions between hues and rich layering can create depth and complexity.
Consistency: Colours should have a purpose, even when they seem spontaneous. A strong painting usually shows that the artist made intentional choices about the palette.
3. Texture and Brushwork
Surface Quality: Abstract oil paintings often emphasize texture. Layers of paint, impasto techniques, or smooth transitions can add a tactile element that engages the viewer.
Brushstroke Energy: The energy and movement in the brushwork often convey the artist's emotional or physical process. Bold, confident strokes suggest an artist in control, while more chaotic or loose gestures might speak to emotional turbulence or spontaneity.
Materiality: The inherent quality of oil paint—its thickness, sheen, or transparency—should be used to its fullest potential. Whether it’s thickly applied or delicately glazed, the material itself should be part of the painting’s impact.
4. Expression and Emotion
Emotive Power: Even without representational content, abstract painting should convey a certain emotion or state of mind. A great abstract work might communicate tension, joy, serenity, or chaos through its elements.
Personal Voice: An abstract painting often carries the artist’s distinct style or voice. This is especially important when evaluating the work’s originality and depth. Does the painting feel like it comes from a genuine, personal exploration?
5. Concept and Meaning
Intent and Interpretation: A strong abstract painting should invite the viewer to think and feel beyond the surface. Even without an obvious subject matter, there should be a sense of meaning—whether it’s purely emotional, formal, or conceptual. How well does the work embody the artist’s intent?
Engagement: Does the painting provoke thought, curiosity, or emotional responses? While some abstract works are purely aesthetic, many aim to challenge or engage the viewer in more profound ways.
6. Craftsmanship
Technical Skill: Although abstract art can sometimes seem spontaneous or unplanned, a strong work usually shows technical proficiency in controlling the medium. This can include mastery of colour mixing, blending, and the physical manipulation of oil paint.
Cohesion: A good abstract painting feels complete and cohesive. All the elements—colour, form, texture, composition—should come together to create a unified whole, rather than feeling like separate parts or unresolved ideas.
7. Innovation and Originality
Pushing Boundaries: Abstract art should often feel fresh or innovative. A good painting will push the boundaries of tradition or even the artist’s own past work. It should offer something new in terms of technique, form, or emotional depth.
Uniqueness: Does the painting stand out as unique, or does it resemble the work of other artists? While influences are normal, the work should have a distinct voice that doesn’t simply replicate familiar trends.
8. Viewer’s Interaction
Dynamic Response: Great abstract works invite a dynamic response, meaning the painting changes as you spend time with it. Subtle layers may reveal themselves, or the relationship between the forms and colours may shift with prolonged viewing.
Subjectivity: One of the strengths of abstract art is that it allows for multiple interpretations. A good painting should leave space for the viewer to bring their own experiences and thoughts into their understanding of the piece.
That's why I continued to search for my style in oil artwork.
But I need time not only for reflection, but also just time to live with these works and thoughts.
This summary of my work helped me.
It looks like a continuing search for truth.
Chat GPT gave me an interesting comment on this photo:
When looking at the wall with all these diverse works, one might think the artist is researching themes related to transformation, memory, and the passage of time. The combination of textures, materials, and abstract forms suggests a deep exploration of fragmentation and reconstruction—possibly reflecting on how objects, emotions, or experiences break down and then come together in new forms.
The mix of crumpled papers, geometric structures, and layered colors also hints at themes like urban decay, nature’s resilience, and the relationship between human-made and organic elements. There is a clear tension between the fragility of materials (like paper and fabric) and the more rigid, structured elements (wood and metal), which could symbolize the contrast between vulnerability and strength, or chaos and order.
Overall, the works seem to express the idea of evolution—how things change, grow, or are rebuilt after being torn apart, whether it's a physical landscape, personal identity, or cultural memory. The repetition of certain forms, like the crumpled blue textures, might suggest that the artist is deeply invested in the concept of repetition and difference, exploring how the same subject can be reinterpreted through different mediums.
I asked it to give an independent assessment of the viewer from the outside, and indeed in these works, Chat GPT saw themes of transformation, memory, the passage of time, fragmentation and reconstruction, chaos and order, as well as repetition and difference. The surprising thing is that these are exactly the topics that I worked on in my last essay.
Besides this, I have been working on several new sculptures.
One of them was inspired by my migraines. I see synesthetic lines, shapes and colours when I have a bad headache. And this pain penetrates and pierces the head - this feeling is well reflected with broken metal tubes. At the moment when this impulse reaches the point of pain, it begins to pulsate softly and painfully, spreading red and orange colours across the head.
As you can see from my accompanying photographs, part of the sculpture came together quickly and clearly, but when I placed the work for photography, there was a feeling that the foundation was missing. After some time, I saw the solution in a dream. Or rather, I felt it, that it should be like this.
Below I provide my text from the official description of this work for public networks.
Migrainal Bloom, 2024, paint, recycled newspapers, screws, gauze, metal, screws, acrylic, wood, burlap, construction foam, 65 x 45 x 40 cm.
This sculpture is "inspired" by the visceral representation of pain - the intense experience of migraine and synesthesia. The blackened, jagged shapes of the metal reflect the acute neural disruption as if visualising the unexpected nature of the pain attack. However, amidst this feeling, there is aesthetics in the bright flashes of red and orange, recalling the contrast between suffering and the unexpected beauty that emerges from it. This sculpture also evokes a post-apocalyptic world where life begins anew from the ashes of destruction. It embodies the paradox of fragility and strength, pain and beauty, destruction and rebirth.
Another sculpture, started out as one, but then it felt like two separate things and I radically unsawed it.
As soon as two separate objects appeared, one definitely became a creature on legs and only a head was needed.
I didn’t want something banal, but as always I was looking for a sarcasm and a joke that would give associations.
In this case, I supplemented the topic with the German name "abhängig" which comes from the word hanging and means "Dependent" or "Addicted".
The figure appears unsteady, as if barely able to stand on its feet, with uneven legs, which reinforces the theme of instability and vulnerability. The hanger symbolizes suspension in life, waiting or dependence on external support, while its ordinary function (to hang or hold clothes) contrasts with the raw, unstable base of the sculpture. The tension between hanging and standing, between purpose and reality, speaks to deeper existential themes.
Besides this, I continue to look for ways to work with photography.
I also discovered for myself works of Peter Fischli and David Weiss.
Fischli and Weiss were deeply interested in how viewers perceive the world and the gap between reality and representation. Through their photographs, they invited the viewer to reconsider what they would normally overlook—objects, landscapes, and moments that seem banal but, upon closer inspection, contain hidden complexity or beauty. Their work often blurred the line between the real and the artificial, challenging the viewer’s sense of what is authentic. In this aspect, I find incredible similarities with what I do. I explore the tension between a physical installation or sculpture and its photographic representation, reinforcing themes of temporality and permanence, fragmentation and the whole, and attempting to understand how digital photography influences the viewer's perception of physical works of art. Beyond this, I see a connection between my practice and the work of these artists in the exploration of the mundane and everyday as a path to deeper reflection. Also recontextualizing everyday objects to challenge perception (the subject of my Essay). Beyond that, themes of fragility, balance, and uncertainty. And also, the use of repetition and layering to create complex, contemplative narratives.
In their photographs, Fischli and Weiss manipulated the context and scale of their subjects, sometimes making small, insignificant objects appear monumental through careful composition. They often placed objects in complex compositions to create tension or humour. These compositions were then photographed to suggest a narrative or meaning beyond the simplicity of the objects themselves. Many of their photographs used a flat, neutral style to mimic amateur or documentary photography.
I also continue to experiment with graphics and look for connections between drawn lines and painted spots and my super-tactile works.
I destroy my old work and immediately recycle the materials.
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