«I always carry a sketchbook with me, where I capture the world around me. I'm interested in the interaction of the inner state of the depicted person or group of people with the surrounding space. The natural and familiar environment we inhabit often clashes with our inner world, and this has always fascinated me.
I read that ancient Greeks defined three fundamental fears of humanity: the first is the fear of the wrath of the gods, the second is the fear of death, and the third is the fear of universal meaninglessness. The latter was the most important and strongest of all.
My beach series began with the work "Swim". I saw this scene on the shores of the Black Sea. Millions of years ago, life as we know it emerged from the water and, reaching its peak, returned to the water again, seeking to complete the cycle of the evolutionary process. Another important work for me is "Gravity". It depicts people working on the beach, while everyone else relaxes and basks in the hot sun. Their goods are filled with air, yet they are drawn to the Earth, just as daily duties pull us to the ground.»
Andrey Novikov
