Fencer's Diary, 2023
170 x 120 cm
€1400
Oil on canvas
The series of works focuses on the modern man characterised by a fear of intimacy. In this state, like in sport, carefully cultivated methods of self-defence reach a level of mastery, standing between the individual and the outside world. The Latvian word “paukošana” is probably derived from “pauks” (sometimes “paukš”), which is used to imitate a temporary, recessed noise, such as a light blow. In an age of intimacy starvation, this noise echoes in the half-empty room of the swordsman, echoing between trivial everyday reflections that alternate with the naked heaviness of existence and make one question how unfair this game is to oneself.