Yggdrasil
Katya Zvereva understands that something is deeply wrong with the earth and its current inhabitants. Our obsession with touting progress and success obscures a deeper, more abiding need โ to understand the fragility and beauty of life. Her awareness of these things comes from that hazy, hypnopompic state between waking and sleeping, where the madness of our dream state greets the dawning day and the light of reason.
A lack of wisdom of the preciousness of life leads inevitably to war โ first against nature, and then our own fellow human beings. Violence reveals the darkest aspects of our natures and its impact on individuals and society can be devastating.
In spite of those who wage war and perpetrate it, Zvereva focuses on the solidarity experienced between people who are on the receiving end of the violence, even across borders. This series combines the disciplines of printmaking and painting and aims to evoke a sense of empathy and reflection on the consequences of conflict.
About the artist
Born in Russia, Zverevaโs work is a witness to the possibilities that await us beyond conflict with each other and the natural world. The title of the show, Yggdrasil, refers to the ancient ash tree that upholds the universe and connects us to both the lands of the giants and that of the gods. We neglect this โworld treeโ today โ to our own peril.