Manfred Dubov ”Revellers in the Dark”

Catastrophes and happiness may happen both on a personal and global level. One way of being joyful is not having to worry about the essentials. A catastrophe can be defined as a larger amount of problems and lack of resources for coping with the situation. Self-realization is possible only when basic needs are guaranteed. Thus, we can call ourselves happy when we don’t have to be concerned about the essentials. Even during the pandemic-free period our basic needs can be perceived – what is vital and what’s not. At first glance, the theme of the exhibition may seem dead serious, but the paintings on display are rather humorous and introspective in nature.

“Revellers in the Dark” places the characters in a darkened space where they seem to be glowing. The character of “The Arriver” seems to be burnt – the surrounding blotches of paint or flashes of light as well as the distorted space refer to flames. “The Descender/Ascender” is smiling despite the hellish surroundings and the physical deterioration of the character’s body, while being able to exit the space. The sky above the character is bright and full of sunshine, and there is a future perspective even in death. „I Come from Several Places at Once“ refers to a group of exhausted characters who have gathered in difficult conditions and who will move on together. „The Traveller“ is a vague character, searching for an anchor in a wasteland while probably being also the one providing support.

Manfred Dubov

Manfred Dubov (1986) is an artist and medical worker who works mainly in oil paint mediums. In his artist’s practice, he studies interconnections between’s one’s inner world, the body and one’s living environment. Throughout the years, Dubov has held numerous personal and group exhibitions both in Estonia and abroad. One of his most extensive art projects was „I Come from Several Places at Once“ in the form of personal exhibitions held in 2008–2018.
In 2016, Dubov’s book „Today Everything Will Be Found“ was published that was nominated to Betti Alver Literary Award and the annual award for poetry by „Värske Rõhk“.
Dubov is currently working on his next series of paintings, Revelleres in the drak, which focuses on the connections between suffering and happiness. Besides his artist’s practice, Manfred Dubov also works as a nurse of intensive.