The Garden of Delight is a project I have been working towards for a long time. The search for the right visual and compositional approach to the theme of the "Ideal Place" has always occupied my mind. The key verbal designation of the era our species is going through, for me, is Fragility. It manifests in everything, in every feeling that has overtaken people on Earth. The sense that everything could end at any moment, by the will of a few, has gripped billions, regardless of their origins or beliefs. Fragility is the idea that unites us all.
The post-pandemic era has instilled in society a fear of global disaster. The dynamics of information flow reinforce and accelerate humanity's awareness of its own vulnerability as a species.
The theme of life after life has always fascinated me. In one way or another, all my works are grounded in two constants — light and darkness. Their struggle and interaction on the canvas create tension and pose the question: does humanity truly need a world where "everything is for them"?
In my interpretation, the Garden of Eden is divided into zones — rooms. Each room represents a separate canvas. I deliberately chose not to give each painting an individual title, instead numbering them in the order they were created. Every zone of the Garden is a bath, or Bath. A place of purification and a return to the source that gave birth to us all. The material for my works — architecture, spaces, details — I drew from the city of Bath, located not far from me. This city, known for its hot underground springs and ancient Roman baths, has been attracting people for over two thousand years. The sketches I made there formed the basis of the compositional solutions for this project. Of course, I didn’t limit myself to this inspiration alone. My experience living in Istanbul and Edinburgh also played a part in the search for the "Ideal World" or the "Garden of Delight."
One of the central figures in the series is a composite image of birds. References to Bosch or Pompeian frescoes are fitting. I visited nearly every significant natural history museum in southern England, collecting images of various birds. From long-extinct dodos to modern inhabitants of cities and zoos — I didn’t aim to depict specific species. Often, I combined features of different birds, creating new, evolved forms: additional beaks, legs, or eyes. The diversity of birds within the compositions helps unite the project, giving it a greater sense of cohesion. The inhabitants of the garden, satiated and content with their position, no longer need to fly or search for food. In most of the compositions, they appear idle, free from anxiety or doubt.
Children, as symbols of purity and innocence, naturally found their place in the "Gardens." They no longer seek their parents because, in this new world, they no longer need adults. While working on this project, I often recalled lines from Stanley Kubrick’s final, unfinished film A.I. Artificial Intelligence: "God created Adam so that Adam would love Him...". Our entrance into the "New World," into the "Garden of Delight," requires us to pay with our unconditional Love. As Mike
Naumenko wrote:
"We're all in the same movie theater, each of us is an actor.
Each of us is a screenwriter, each of us is a director.
Get comfortable in your seats, the lights will dim soon.
By the way, I forgot to ask, what did you pay for your ticket?"
