Honors the cultures of the Andean region, with its stonework, art, music, healing & spiritual practices. Words like condor, llama, puma, coca, etc. originated from local Quechua-Aimara languages. In lower center is artist version of traditional mask used in theatrical performances of "Diablada". Quipu or kiupu — "talking knots" — combination of knots from llama wool, have been used for registering number and words.
Enlightenment Under the Spanish Guitar — Surreal Reality
Spanish cedar, guitar strings
36"×60"×4" / 91×152×10 cm
Honors the culture of Spain including the magical sounds of the Spanish guitar; flamenco dance; and the art of Gaudi, Picasso (the Minotaur), & Dali (melted watch). The Andalusian horse depicted is known for its athletic abilities, like staying seated. The central Woman, the universal peace maker, balances the excessive aggression and drinking of the man. The alphabet is hidden in the guitar circle.
Aboriginal Dreamtime of the Rainbow Serpent
Australian Jarra wood
36"×60"×4" / 91×152×10 cm
Honors aboriginal culture. For thousands of years before European discovery, indigenous Australians had their own societies, economies, native languages, paintings, wood-carving art, music and dance. They also have one of the oldest continuing religious beliefs in the world — the Dreamtime, with its cosmic creator, the Rainbow Serpent.
African Mask: God of Connectedness
African mahogany
36"×60"×4" / 91×152×10 cm
Honors Mother Africa and all she has created: diverse flora and fauna, tribes, nations, languages, wood-carving art, rhythm, spirituality etc. Africa is believed to be the birthplace of the Homo sapiens species. The Ethiopian alphabet is the oldest writing system in Africa. The 33 main letters of it are disguised within the leopard's spots. The idea of Unity is represented by a mask with interconnected humans, animals, and plants.
Paintings
Santa Fiora — Marigold with Child
Oil, gold on linen
28"×22" / 71×56 cm
Echoing the timeless Madonna and Child, it celebrates the bond of mother and child — a symbol of love, grace, and renewal. Yet its devotion reaches beyond humanity, toward the quiet beauty of plants that color the earth and breathe life into all. The marigold, radiant and giving, becomes a voice of nature herself — a reminder that every living being shares in the same act of creation.
Alchemy in Water
Ink, oil on wood
36"×36" / 91×91 cm
Alchemy, derived from the Arabic word "Al-kīmiyā," is the mystical art of transforming base materials into something finer. Two underwater shelled subjects, sea anemones, emerge from their personal ornate shells that represent our complex structured minds and unite to forge a new, free of strict forms, ethereal energy, capable of taking flight into higher dimensions.
Alchemy in Air
Ink, oil on wood
36"×36" / 91×91 cm
Alchemy, derived from the Arabic word "Al-kīmiyā," is the mystical art of transforming base materials into something finer. Two beings, intertwined with love, merge their energies to birth a new essence, a luminous force that propels toward higher dimensions like a soaring rocket.
Lys de Calla sur Côte d'Azur
Oil on linen
36"×36"
Surreal representation of a graceful female body as a Calla Lily on the Coast of Azur.
Fleur de Nice
Oil on linen
36"×36"
Surreal representation of a graceful female body as a flower with butterflies at the Coast of Nice, France.
Reincarnated Sounds of Hawaii
acrylic on Koa wood
Honoring Hawaiian island culture. Hawaii is the only state in the USA with its own official language — its intrinsically minimalist nature offers only 12 distinct sounds. Formerly considered an endangered language, it now shows signs of revival. Painted in memory of IZ Kamakawiwo'ole, a world-renowned Hawaiian musician who died at age 38.
Paintings: Alphabets
A series of large-scale paintings honoring world cultures through their alphabets, languages, and symbols — each work weaving letters into the imagery of the culture it celebrates.
Peace of Swiss — Brightness of Neutrality
Acrylic and Aluminum
36"×60" / 91×152 cm
Honors Swiss culture and what it's known for: neutrality, cheese, chocolate, watches, banks etc. The central vault opens with a Swiss "army knife." The stones in the watch are letters of the four Swiss languages: German, French, Italian & Romansh. This work is a petition to redefine wealth based on the beauty of our natural resources and focus our future's investment on Peace.
Sakura Nipponica — Complex Simplicity
Acrylic and Aluminum
36"×60" / 91×152 cm
To memorialize victims of Hiroshima & Nagasaki and honor the Japanese culture. Japan has a complex writing system with 2 identically sounding sets: Hiragana & Katakana. Displayed in a Yin-Yang shape on the vase, one set of letters is used for local words while the other is for foreign words. The table includes 1,945 Kanji characters and the background wall is engraved with Japanese words & brands that became a significant part of our global economy, vocabulary, and daily lives.
Tao of Chinese Wall — Explosive Patience
Acrylic and Aluminum
36"×60" / 91×152 cm
The profound patience required to master over 7,000 "simplified" Chinese pictographs is likely the underlying force behind the various inventions that the Chinese culture has contributed to humanity — including paper, printing, the compass, gunpowder, porcelain, and silk. The central structure of the painting is an actual brass gong with hand-engraved fish symbolizing Yin and Yang.
Italian Romance — Modern Energy from Antiquity
Acrylic on canvas
36"×60" / 91×152 cm
I believe that the main energy of humanity was, is and always will be Love. Only with the power of Love can you accomplish what seems impossible. In this picture I have tried to show the energy of "Love in the air" by painting the gaze of David of Michelangelo to Medusa Rondanini, along with other Italian inventions like espresso maker, Venetian mask, musical notes from opera Verdi etc.
"Mir" Station — Warm Welcome from Cold Russia
Oil, brass, birch
36"×60" / 91×152 cm
Honors the Russian culture & the first astronaut to orbit the Earth — Yuri Gagarin. Includes symbols of Russian arts and craft, such as the Matreshka doll and symbols of Russian hospitality including bread and salt, the samovar/tea boiler, and a set of informal glasses. The central image of the Virgin Mother is rendered in the tradition of Russian religious icons.
Double Dose of the American Smile — Virtual Reality
Acrylic on fiberglass, aluminum, banknotes
36"×60" / 91×152 cm
Honors the famous American Smile, "freedom," and the amazing marketing talents of American companies. It is a talent to advertise and convince the world to dream your kind of dream, strive for your lifestyle, consume your type of food and drink, watch your movies & TV, wish to graduate from your universities, appreciate your kind of "modern art," listen to your kind of music, believe in your version of democracy, and trust in the safety of your currency.
Magique de Belgique — Clarity with Inclusions
Oil, Belgian linen
36"×60" / 91.5×152.5 cm
Iconic René Magritte's picture of "Man in bowler hat" is placed in the focal point, with a symbolic dove clearing his view. Brussels sprouts are flowering over a diamond-shaped table covered with unpainted Belgian linen. Different shapes of beer glasses are placed centrally in reference to the centuries-old tradition of making countless types of beers. The Hand — the symbol of Antwerp city, world center of diamond trade.
French Curves à la Carte — Expressive Impressions
Acrylic on canvas
36"×60" / 91×152 cm
Honors French culture and its impressive influence on our world. For centuries, the French language — "La lingua Franca" — was utilized as the language of the elite. Each letter of its alphabet is extended in the delicate petals of the iris, symbolic Fleur-de-lis. This painting explores some of the French culinary tastes and traditions: frog and "escargot" hidden in the flowers, croissant, french roll, brie, french press, cognac, champagne, etc.
Mexican Equinox — Celestial and Terrestrial Alignment
Acrylic on plywood
36"×60" / 91×152 cm
To honor Mayan, Aztec and Mexican cultures. The official Mexican (Spanish) alphabet is hidden in succulent cactus fruits, to show the historical survival strength of the local population in drought conditions. The focal point on the horizon is a Mayan pyramid in reference to the achievements of Mayan people in astronomy. Dahlias, the national flower of Mexico, is placed in a vase shaped in the form of a tequila bottle.
Treasures of Flying Dutchman — Unlimitedness of "Limited" Palette
Oil on canvas
36"×60" / 91×152 cm
Honoring the culture of Netherlands. The Dutch alphabet is painted into the flower synonymous with its nation — the tulip. Made famous in the 17th century during Tulip-mania, the "Semper Augustus" tulip is considered the cause of the first economic bubble in recorded history. The tabletop easel depicting a windmill landscape is reminiscent of Rembrandt and the Dutch Masters who painted in smaller format and in limited palette, yet with natural lighting and great detail.
Brazilian Alchemy of Rhythm — Transient Permanence
Acrylic on canvas
36"×60" / 91×152 cm
Honors Brazilian culture with its up-tempo rhythms of Samba's drumbeats and whistle tweets as well as the soothing, poetic melodies of Bossa Nova, which make the orchids dance and transform themselves into the 26 letters of the Brazilian alphabet. Every year, millions of Brazilians participate in the Carnival parade in which percussion instruments produce vibrations and make dancing bodies reach a spirit that is in harmony with nature.
Honors antique Greek culture and its influence on philosophy, geometry, architecture, theater, literature, sports etc. The Greek alphabet has given rise to all the modern alphabets of Europe & the Americas. The painting depicts the 24 Greek letters and mirrors the evolution of Greek architectural styles: the Minoan, Doric, Ionic, & the Corinthian.
Flame of Arabia — Count of Infinity
Acrylic on canvas
36"×60" / 91×152 cm
Honors the antique Arabic culture and the Arabic scientists of the 9th and 10th century for their developments in Algebra (Al-Jabr = "reunion" in Arabic). The Western Arabic numerals from 1 to 0 and the 28 Arabic letters are combined in the petals of the desert flower and form a spiral shape, symbolizing infinity. Arabic culture is defined independently of religious identity and pre-dates Islam.
Genesis of Hebrew — Vibrant Consonance
Jewelry box, crystals
18"×24" / 46×61 cm
To memorialize the victims of the Holocaust and to honor the Jewish culture with its contributions to science & music. The oldest known jewelry in the world (100,000 year old beads from shells) was found at Mount Carmel, Israel. Crystal jewels are designed as Hebrew letters and arranged into musical notes. Hebrew is a Jewish language and one of the official languages of Israel.
Poesia Persiana — Smooth Sharpness in Every Petal
Acrylic on canvas
36"×60" / 91×152 cm
Dedicated to Omar Khayyam, the 11th century Persian philosopher, poet, mathematician, & astronomer. Persian is one of the oldest languages and its literary tradition, including the works of poets such as Ferdowsi and Rumi, retains considerable importance. Each petal characterizes one of the 32 letters of the Persian alphabet. Their arrangement on the willowy stems evokes the unique intonation of the language, which has a cadence reminiscent of a song.
Armenian Bulletproof Sounds — High Spirit Against Evil Eye Sight
Acrylic on ballistic fabric
36"×60" / 91×152 cm
Created as an Armenian camouflage pattern, with intent that the vibration of these sounds should protect and make Armenian military defense men invisible for modern weapon sights. In the war of 2020, started by Azerbaijan against the ethnic Armenian population of Artsakh republic using weaponized drones, over 5,000 young Armenian soldiers were lost. This artwork memorializes their lives.