"Temporary Pause" and "Dialogue 2": original African works at the «Legacy for the Future» exposition

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The exposition of young artists continues at the National Centre RUSSIA until February 2. Guests can see more than 250 works from Russia, China, India, Brazil, Ethiopia and Iran. We continue our acquaintance with the bright works of the "Legacy for the Future" exposition and together with the guests and guide Antonina Matserinskaya will discuss the paintings of Ethiopian artists.

"Temporary Pause" is a spectacular work by Yeabsra Yemru — a student of the School of Fine Arts and Design at Addis Ababa University, made in the monoprint technique — this is hand printing, which allows you to get a unique image.

At first glance, the painting depicts three people. The man in the centre is clearly and graphically painted, while the figures to the right and left of him seem to have faded and are harder to see. In the opinion of a visitor to the exposition, most likely they depict the protagonist in childhood and old age. This is also hinted at by the image of a clock. 

"It seems to me that the temporary pause is what the author calls our life or more precisely the period between youth and old age, when we are no longer young, but still full of strength, we already have experience, but at the same time we have faced disappointments more than once. The picture seems a little gloomy to me, it makes me think about the transience of life and its finitude," said Anton Merzlyakov, a visitor to the exposition.

And here's what Antonina Matserinskaya, a tour guide at the National Centre RUSSIA, said about the painting.

"Of the series of Ethiopian works, this painting is my favorite. It is an example of the fact that everything ingenious is simple. The artist has depicted himself, and on the left and right are his parents. Their silhouettes are indistinct, but his parents' hands, lying on his shoulders, are vividly drawn. Even after death, everything that our parents put in us: love, care, knowledge and experience, all this remains with us," said the expert. 

Another interesting work "Dialogue 2" by Davit Gossaye offers to consider a dysfunctional family through artistic metaphors. A dysfunctional family is a family in which the basic needs of its members are not met. And it is not always about unhealthy families, sometimes in such a family people simply do not hear each other, they lack love and warmth. 

"Despite the title ‘Dialogue,’ the characters of the painting give the impression of very lonely people and the impression that there is no real communication in this family, in addition, due to the absence of a male figure in the picture, we can conclude that in this family all the cares lie on the women," — shared the opinion of the guest of the exposition Yelena Samsonova.

But another visitor of the exposition offers a completely different interpretation of the work. Maria Shchukina, who is also an artist, believes that this picture is about a dialogue between a woman and herself: in youth, during motherhood and in old age.

The work "Dialogue 2" is also very interesting to consider from the form aspect, the author chooses bright contrasting colors, skillfully uses shadows and uses traditional African motifs.

Let us remind you that at the "Legacy for the Future" exposition one can see unique paintings, sculptures, photographs and art objects, as well as video and animation. Both self-guided visits to the exposition and the opportunity to attend a free half-hour or hour-long tour are available for National Centre guests. You can register on the website in the "Events" section.