The island of Yesterday and the island of Tomorrow, 2021

Entitled 'Island Yesterday, Island Tomorrow', the painting depicts two twin islands which, although very similar, will never meet. This physical proximity, yet inevitable separation, becomes a symbol of divided time and space. The American island lies in a time zone shifted nine hours backwards from Greenwich, while the Russian island is 12 hours forward relative to the same point. This fascinating time paradox was the inspiration for this painting.

The composition is in cool tones, with a dominant range of blues and browns, which emphasises the sense of distance and rawness of the place. The blue tones are reminiscent of the cold Arctic waters that surround these remote patches of land, while the browns can symbolise the barrenness and timelessness of their existence.

These two islands, although twin in form, seem to exist in two different realities - one locked in the past and the other looking to the future. Although they are only a small fragment of ocean away from each other, this invisible barrier of time makes them unreachable to each other. In this way, the painting becomes a reflection on the passage of time and its impact on space, showing how something as intangible as hours and minutes can divide what at first glance seem inseparable.