Born in Central Asia, lives in Ukraine. Programmer in IT companies for over 20 years, painter.
What else, but quarantine, would obligate us to slow down and reflect…
Oksana Okhapkina
Now we live in a specific period when everyone is scared by the virus.
The pandemic is spreading and it seems that the quarantine will last forever. What else, but quarantine, would obligate us to slow down and reflect. What is really important to us? Money, career, success? Or the health of our beloved family members, the warmth of sincere conversations, the unconditional love of relatives. During unforgiving moments you begin appreciating the time spent with darling people. The memory cells themselves begin to expend out happy moments that you want to capture for centuries.
I have been brought out in the family of the border guard. We have travelled many times. And being lockdown, it was impossible for me to accept the movement limitations, but during quarantine only the memory about traveling has aloud me to start new series “Memory cells”. Our memory is very selective, it is interesting to discover the memory markers. Memoirs are multiple: first kiss, baby smile, taste of the childhood, smell. Why do we remember only special moments of our life? Being isolated I have seen the installation of Portugal artist Ana Vieira (1940-2016) and her “Ambiente – Sala de Jantar”. This is once more demonstrated how informative might be the artwork and how can you revise it in the today live moment. This has been my indication paper which you put down into the water glass and you see the specific of the chemical reaction. Painting “Dreams” has been this chemical reaction. In the close room the child is dreaming about the sea. Might be this was me to dream about the sea, I have seen it for the first time in my 30th. Should it be only dream – it depends only from us, it had appeared not.
The whole world has made pause and only now they start the attempts to organize the normal life. And now the question arises: to evaluate what he has it is necessary to lose? How happy you are to have freedom to move, freedom to choose, freedom to say, freedom to do what you want. When you are free to walk along the streets, travel to different countries, visit the seashore, attend the concert, meetings, events. This is a dream about the sea and freedom!!!
During the pandemic I have started using internet resources, my website, Instagram, YouTube, as well as participating in virtual exhibitions and competitions. Also I have started online studies during 2020 quarantine, new facilities have opened. I have studied the course of the modern arts museum of New-York “In the Studio: Postwar Abstract Painting” and “Modern Art & Ideas”. This has given me to express myself in the New-York school of abstract arts and this being the proceeding of my memory markers studies.
I am sure that humankind will coup pandemic and will be happy.
#365daysafter art project