The Monologues 1989

Editor: This is “The Monologues,” painted in 1989 by Oleg Holosiy using acrylics. Looking at it, I’m immediately struck by the sense of isolation and maybe… a little bit of unease. What are your initial thoughts? Curator: Oleg Holosiy's work has this way of whispering secrets while shouting from the rooftops. These figures, they're like guardians of a dream, aren’t they? Silent witnesses to something profound. I see figures steeped in longing, yearning even, set against a backdrop of swirling uncertainties, reflected in the expressive sky. What I find intriguing, though, is that it looks like there is a third central figure slightly transparent. What do you see? Editor: Oh, I see it now! I was so focused on the two main figures. Do you think that this one is supposed to be interpreted literally, or as a ghost figure? Curator: Holosiy's not one for literal interpretations, is he? More like the ghost of potential, of a conversation that never quite happens, hovering in the ether. Art during that time in the Soviet Union liked to play with reality. Editor: That makes so much sense. The 'never quite happens' aspect amplifies the sense of solitude that emanates from the piece. I initially found this to be about being stuck in solitariness. Is it then perhaps a study of the artist’s position on a turning point in cultural memory? Curator: Precisely. It’s about these in-between spaces – cultural, political, personal. It’s about history bearing down on the present, but without offering any easy answers. I think those are its most impressive qualities. The Ukrainian art scene at that moment in time was pushing for their individualism and personal experiences to reach the canvas. The result is this melancholic, powerful masterpiece. Editor: So, it's less about isolation in a vacuum and more about isolation amidst transformation. The way you’ve framed that is completely different from how I first saw the piece. Curator: It's the beauty of art, isn't it? Ever-evolving. Holosiy offers us a glimpse, a whisper, but the story… that's ours to complete.