FRAGILE ISLAND

Yevgeny Zamyatin in his novel We (1920) wrote: “Numbers marched past me, row on row…
And only I was alone, cast out by a storm on a desert island, seeking, seeking with my eyes among the grey-blue waves”.

Blissful supremacy prevails within the palaces of the One State on the Fragile Island. How do we envision our ideal sanctuary? A personal island shaded by palm trees in a tranquil ocean, where time flows seamlessly. Can an individual in the present moment truly find solace within themselves?

Tanya Akhmetgalieva reflects: “During my childhood, I envisioned an island as a small piece of land, resembling a mound, encompassed by boundless water. It might be entirely vacant, or perhaps one or two palm trees would grace the island. Its dimensions only allowed for one person. Strangely, I still sense that I inhabit that island even now…”.

The project features a childhood drawing where five-year-old Tanya not only illustrated her dream but also expressed her stance as an artist, amid the fluctuating currents of public opinion. Having completed her studies at the Stieglitz Art and Industry Academy and emerging as an independent artist, Tanya Akhmetgalieva allowed herself to drift freely, yet retained the sensation of a solitary existence on that same diminutive island, embellished with one or two palm trees.

Island, 1988, 55 x 60 cm, watercolors on paper