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."