To keep warm

2024 · 60 × 80 cm

Oil on canvas

I have always been confused and fascinated by the sacred but surprisingly earthly archetype of the mother, one of whose strongest manifestations is self-sacrifice. Child and mother are inextricably linked and do not exist without each other, alive or dead. The miracle of codependence, which provokes real heroism, and is never recognized enough. I once read that during the tragedy in Babyn Yar, mothers threw babies at the feet of soldiers to save them. Of course, it was hopeless. During the war, when the threat to the already fragile life of the child becomes absolute, the mother’s only desire and goal is to protect and save, regardless of her own feelings and needs. To give the last possible warmth.