All the works of the series called "40x30x20" are divided into pieces measuring 40x30 cm - this is the size of hand luggage and it was the format in which I had to put everything important, including my paintings, when I left Ukraine in March 2022.The beginning of 2022 was a time when I, like many others, had to adapt to particularly difficult conditions. Each work of the series, which originally had a format of 80x90 cm, I carefully folded into a 40x30 cm format so that it could fit in a suitcase. The traces that formed on the works are traces of that time.

I started this series in August 2022 when I visited my father in my hometown of Odesa, Ukraine. It's a two-minute walk from my house to the sea, so Arcadia Beach has always been a special place for me. This beach has always been one of the most visited places in Odesa.

In the summer of 2022, I saw the beach for the first time after the full-scale russian invasion. At that time, people came to the sea, but could not step on the sand because of mines. Back in the spring of 2022, wild plants began to sprout from the sand... For me, these plants became a special image of Ukrainian strength - they tried to survive in the most difficult conditions, with only sand and saltwater around. In addition, the plants stated that, despite the war, they have a life of their own.

That summer, I felt a completely new, apocalyptic atmosphere on the beach. I also noticed the rusty metal structures that had always been part of this seascape. These were old structures that used to be covered with heavy slate in Soviet times. It created a shadow for vacationers sitting on the sand below.

These structures are the ghosts of the Soviet Union, just skeletons. Today, these structures cannot be used for their original purpose. If we decide to "bring them back to life" and put a heavy slate on them, they will break. Here I draw an analogy with russia's imperialist desire to regain its influence over the former members of the Soviet Union. This is an attempt to restore the old system and bring back to life what is already dead.

The 40x20x30 series represents a difficult time, but also the ability to find solutions.