This is the title of a new exhibition, now underway at the Griffin Gallery, of artist Olena Otroshchenko-Beisembinova, oldest daughter of the famous Tetiana Yablonska.
Little porcelain statues, Chinese fans, old postcards and photographs, dolls in fabulously beautiful attires, collections of butterflies, dried flowers — all these treasures, wonderful per se, assume a special mysterious air of childhood relics in Ms. Otroshchenko-Beisembinova’s still lifes. Yet, the current exhibition seems to have broken the vicious circle of deeply personal reminiscences. A miraculous transfiguration of things is now possible not only in a very cozy but narrow and closed space of a studio. Now the earlier treasures have been complemented with fallen leaves (“A Wonderful Autumn on a Tray”), a bird’s nest (“A Little Nest on Hay”), mushrooms (“The Kingdom of Mushrooms”), and even “Salting Herbs.” Moreover, Olena Otroshchenko-Beisembinova’s Enchanted World, hitherto self-absorbed and seemingly consisting of blank walls alone (albeit filled with treasures), has opened windows the way one opens one’s eyes. You can see the sky and roofs through these windows, while the windowsills host... a small garden — much to the delight of the cat, Lisa (“A Window for Lisa”).
