Body map
"ЦЕХ" gallery, Pskov, Russia
April 7 - May 8, 2022
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This project was created as a study of physicality, of oneself and others.
Numerous sketches in various graphic techniques are united by the common idea of physicality, sexuality and the metaphysical aspect of life.
Many sketches are drawn on an old world map, because the project was launched during the Covid-19 epidemic, during the lockdown in St. Petersburg. The craving for art, creativity and communication pushed me and other artists to get together in small groups, to invite a model and draw sketches from nature. A longing for travel inspired me to draw a model on a world map.
An interesting discovery was that the perception of the image depends on how the parts of the human body in the drawing overlap with the parts of the world on the map.
Also, the wordplay of "map and body" and "body map" contains the meaning of the concept of "body mapping" that is popular in psychotherapy. There is a body map in our brain which stores the memory of events and emotions associated with these events. By working through these events and emotions, we can heal and train the body to move in its own natural way and overcome tension.
In the case of my art, I am healed by drawing other people, observing myself drawing, and observing the processes that drawing inspires in me. I make all the parts of model’s bodies picturesque, expressive and dynamic - as they are in my perception.
This is also an attempt to reflect the subject, the personality of a person drawn, the experiences of nature, and conversations in the workshop during the evening sketch club. After all, drawing from nature is not only a mechanical process, but also my way of communicating with other artists: we get together in the workshop, choose an interesting model, and discuss news from the outside world.
Sometimes our conversations are transferred to sketches in the form of texts and notes.