I am a Russian artist and I have
lived in Italy for many years,
enough to become an Italian citizen.
I have recently discovered the MUM
on the Web and I would like to give
my personal contribution to it, as a
token of my admiration for Mr.
Finley's idea and also to thank him
for all the efforts he has done to
carry it out.
My first work is called PORTRAIT
OF A SHARED SECRET [above]. It
is a picture (mixed technique on
paper) I made long ago, in the
summer 1997. I had known my
girlfriend, who is now my wife, only
for a few months. One morning she
told me of a dream she had had,
which she remembered quite clearly
as it had left a strong impression
on her. She was alone, standing,
when blood started to flow copiously
from her. It was a haemorrhage, not
a normal menstruation, but she was
not frightened. While the blood
continued to flow, she lay down. It
was strange and natural at the same
time, and when she woke up she felt
as if she had given birth to
someone, to herself. In the attempt
to translate her emotions into
images, I made this picture and gave
it to her. When I told her about the
MUM, she agreed it was the place
where the picture should be.
The second work, CATHARSIS [next page],
is a small painted sculpture in
Piasentina Stone (a typical stone of
Friuli, the area where I live). I
made it only a few weeks ago
specially for the MUM. I thought of
Russian traditional dolls
(matrioskas) as symbols of the
multiple secrets of women's nature,
and wanted to combine the idea of
immortality and endless reproduction
suggested by the phoenix, the
legendary and mysterious bird who is
consumed in fire and rises from her
(as she is undoubtedly female) own
ashes. The matrioska and the phoenix
stand also for the magic that I
perceive, without totally
understanding it, in the female
body. The style of the painting in
acrylic colour is meant to evoke the
art of ancient civilizations and
emphasize the continuity, through
procreation, of the history of
humanity. All these elements, and
the menstrual blood, concur to
represent a deeply felt need for
catharsis and renewal.
Vladislav Shabalin
For some information on my work:
www.easternartgallery.com
The artist's next work,
"Catharsis."
