Collaboration with Nadiya Petrovska
Concrete, glass, plastic, acrylic, liquid.
Size: 12 x 13 x15 cm
Probably, this artwork is not the last one in this project, I still have a lot to tell about. Since the beginning of a full-scale invasion the number of triggers is only increasing. Nadiya and I did not intend describing them all. Indeed, if we ignore our trauma, it grows in the nervous system like a mushroom mycelium, absorbing more and more normal life and common sense. Over the years, a personality turns into exposed wound, a minefield, and everything around can become a trigger, and the glass ball grows to the scale of the universe. This artwork is final. We called it "Zen", a state of clear mind in which we perceive the world as it is, in which we can see its deep essence, see "with the heart". But this is not its only name. It is also "Freedom", the real one, because what kind of freedom can we talk about when we are limited by trauma? This is also "Happiness", calm, but permanent and unchanging, because only within this state it is possible. This is also unconditional "Love", for the self, first of all, because it is catastrophically lacking in trauma.
Psychologists say that it is impossible to heal in the environment where you were traumatized. Or that it is not possible to completely get rid of the trauma, you can only learn to live with it. In my opinion, these are manifestations of the limiting paradigm that they inherited from medicine. We are used to perceiving ourselves as mechanisms, as biorobots that have lost their functionality. As if psychological trauma is like a fracture that prevents us from moving normally through life. But its true essence is perhaps spiritual and significantly deeper. Perhaps this is not a mental illness or a wound that cannot be healed, but rather a trial - a rope around the neck of a small, human-tied baby elephant. It was not strong enough to tear it then. But it grew up and became an adult elephant that has enough strength and must believe in itself to break free. Otherwise, in the end, the rope will strangle it. Perhaps trauma is a necessary obstacle that we have to overcome on our individual and collective life path to our true selves, on our way home, way to paradise. Perhaps, it is only possible to heal in the environment where we were traumatized, restoring belief in ourselves, living again through pain, grief, shame, fear, the same painful circumstances, but as an adult, mature person. With love for the self and for life. Because, as our history shows, what we cannot tear now, our children or grandchildren will continue to try. In tens or hundreds of years, they will return as our passionate descendants from Europe or America here, to Ukraine, to fight for freedom again and, most likely, they will stand to the end and die, because those who lived here and should have stood by, will take their rope with them to Europe or America.
So, the last, fifth, title of this artwork is "Exposure". See you on the other side of the glass.
Series concept
The gift that no one would want to receive.
It is unlikely that anyone in their right mind would want to receive such a gift, but unfortunately, our fate and nervous system do just that and leave us no other choice. War is traumatic. It will end someday, but triggers - certain objects, sounds, and places - will periodically return us to the feelings and states that we experienced and are still experiencing. They settle on the bottom of our psyche like a heavy block of concrete and will lie there as long as they are connected to intense negative emotions and feelings. Until we have rethought the events that have happened and understood what has changed in our personality and values for the better. Until the traumatic memories fit into neat row of blocks in the foundation of the structure that we have not yet become. It is impossible to run away from triggers, they can and should be discharged, before inherited by children.