WAITING STATUS

At the moment the reality is rapidly changing right in front of us.The whole civilised world got frozen in the anticipation of theunknown. Me too - I have also felt some kind of ‘pause’. These changes mademe, as well as many others, feel being extracted from the habitualway of life and in need of redefining, reframing and reconsidering myplans and intentions. I’ve felt the necessity to switch into thedeep diving mode, into something like gazing at the reality. The condition hasreminded me of a famous movie scene, when it started pouring in thecity and all passers-by stopped their way to find a suitable place tohide.

Thus they had to stand still, as the torrents of rain have stalledthe regular life flow for indefinite period of time. This period isvery important for me, it is similar to deep reflection andrevaluation. People are standing patiently and humbly waiting.Somebody is looking at the phone, somebody is watching the rain. Allof them are contemplating their individual landscape lined with thesubtle threads of rain, in the state familiar to anybody, when wejust need to wait. The waiting status.

My feeling of uncertainty, the international context and frequentBelgian rains have come together like puzzles in my mind, when I sawthe famous Japanese engraving “Evening Rain at Atake on the GreatBridge” by Utagawa Hiroshige.

I used to live in the city where it rains only in autumn. So sunlighthas always dominated in my work and the rainy weather has been a bitdepressive for me. I would use sunlit landscapes and the sea splitonto light spots, blooming tree spots and the light streaming downVenetian blinds. In Odessa where I was born, a city filled withlight, there are 200 sun days a year and I must admit, it waschallenging for me to find a charm in rainy routine.

Acceptance of rain as a salutary atmosphere has come to me in theprocess of my 2-year living in Belgium and working on these series.It happens when you deep dive into work and can finely sense allshades and all states. I have finally seen the beauty of rain, havefelt this magic feeling, have loved this rich multilayered texturewhich I have tried to express in mosaic. I also hope to make viewersapproach the idea of the project, its content and meaning via theirown thoughts and speculations on reality.