“And this too shall pass…” – a painting of the fleeting world’s flow

Year of creation: 2022

Dimensions: 140 x 420 cm (In parts of 140 x 140 cm)

Technique: Oil on canvas

The river and its magical flow hold sacred significance in many cultures worldwide. The sacred Ganges in India, the mythical Greek River Styx, countless large and small rivers where people live alongside and witness the universal process of flow, much like the flow of time. This is why people say, “You can’t step into the same river twice”…

This painting was created in the summer of 2022, when the war in Ukraine was escalating in brutality, and the world of art was celebrating life at the Venice Biennale, documenta in Kassel, and many other exhibitions, shows, festivals, and displays where the vibrant art tribe congregates. For the most part, the world was free of war, except for Ukraine and a few other localized conflicts. Meanwhile, rivers on our planet continued and continue to flow, as depicted in the painting.

Someone is “dividing the world” while sitting at the evening table, seeking the meaning of political balances, while downstream, ordinary, exotic, and strange characters experience the magic of the Universe, hoping for divine and artistic miracles. Rising from the vase at the center of the table is a light wave-cloud, concealing the winged symbol of the Venice Biennale. The monkey, submerged in the water (the character closest to the capricious and elemental nature), watches the human antics on the shore. Further downstream, the process of clearing the aftermath of a missile strike is ongoing. People in white are carrying out this task with unusual instruments. On the horizon, the mirrored inscription “jositelía” serves as a hint that not everything can be documented. Instead, new myths will arise, transmitted experiences and personal stories will acquire new meaning. People will talk about what was and await a further, easier flow. We are all in this great stream, each with their role. From time to time, emerging, we see how everything slips away. And this too shall pass…