LAFAET ЭLFANT 1989

Curator: Look at this interesting mixed-media piece by Oleg Holosiy, from 1989. It's called "LAFAET ЭLFANT". Editor: It’s rather imposing. Those two elephants dominate the composition, but in such strange, ethereal colors. There’s a melancholic tone; the murky blues contribute to the slightly surreal mood. Curator: The slightly smudged contours remind me of memory, especially in light of the symbolic weight the elephant carries. Often associated with memory, wisdom and even royalty across different cultures. The somewhat faded appearance here could hint at collective memory starting to dissipate or transform. Editor: I'm curious about the social context in Ukraine at this time. 1989; that was right on the cusp of the Soviet Union's collapse. The shaky lines and almost dreamlike quality suggests maybe social anxieties, uncertainty about the future manifesting through a semi-abstract style. The unusual color choices almost hint at something decaying, or corrupted. Curator: That's insightful. Colors, particularly in iconography, act as codes. Green representing hope, rebirth but paired with those blues could easily express an emotional dichotomy—hope intermixed with anxiety, perhaps indicative of a population on the brink of change. Note too how each figure seems caught, almost fossilized; do we, as a society, find it difficult to alter the stories we have made for ourselves, or have had imposed on us? Editor: Certainly. It's as though Holosiy uses a traditional subject to process immediate social tensions, speaking to anxieties via distorted symbolism. A fascinating reflection of a culture at a crossroads. Curator: Agreed, a poignant artwork. Editor: Indeed, something to truly sit with and contemplate.