“Still-Alive with Grenades”— Mixed Media on Canvas, 24”x30”

Edition of 99

Similar to “Tarmazok,” “Still-Alive with Grenades” features smoked mackerel on a plate decorated with a traditional Russian folk pattern. In art history, pomegranates have traditionally represented fertility and desire. In this piece, they are juxtaposed with grenades and the desire to destroy. An important factor to the meaning of this piece, in both the Ukrainian and Russian languages, the words “grenade” and “pomegranate” are interchangeable. Grenade is often used as slang for pomegranate.

Andrei Protsouk intends to continue the Sill Alive Series in this vein. He plans to keep adding new works for the duration of this conflict.