HYPHEN

The paradox of life is that it can be perceived in two ways: as a concrete present moment, “here and now”, and as a finite period of time connecting points A and B. In which case a life path is reduced to a hyphen between two dates on a tombstone. The hyphen is a reflection on this dualism. The work simultaneously allows the viewer to come into contact with their own present and immediately reminds of the well-known, but often ignored, end result.
“Hyphen” is a large-scale wall painting (approx. 120 sq. M.), made in the framework of the tenth Krasnoyarsk Museum Biennale. A part of the tombstone is depicted on the wall of the museum center, where the dates of birth and death are covered with flowers, and the hyphen between them is a mirror and reflects the course of the mighty Yenisei. The date of birth reads the 87th year, this is the year of birth of artists and the year of foundation of the museum, located on the site of the former cemetery. Thus, the work is associated with space and interacts with the viewer in a “live broadcast” mode, and is also riddled with symbolism and nonrandom coincidences: white chrysanthemums in the language of flowers are “a symbol of the ability to have an exceptionally deep aesthetic experience, the ability to admire the beauty of nature and the world even in its simple manifestations."