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VALERY PCHELIN:
I am a drifter. I move along, learning things, discovering things. The name Drifter does not pertain to the object alone, but to the whole process, everything that goes into it. Here they are, the Drifters, and here I am, their creator, developing with them.
For me, the Drifters have become instruments for getting to know reality.
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When they find themselves in a new place, Drifters will act differently, like living beings. Some seem to run, others seem to attack – from fear of being outshone by another.
Here is a simple psychological test. Looking at a Drifter, try to figure out whether it is running towards you or away from you, trying to save you or attack you, whether it is good or evil? A Drifter reveals the inner world of the observer.
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SVETLANA GRIDCHINA, GRIDCHINHALL GALLERY OWNER, REFLECTING ON VALERY PCHELIN’S ART OBJECTS, DRIFTERS
The Cossacks have gone down in history as protectors of the frontiers of our homeland. Reflecting on the Cossack spirit embodied by Drifters, I think about borders first of all. The border inside us, which is so sensitive to our social environment.
As we follow the path laid out for us, we protect our identity and our inviolable space, sometimes even taking someone else’s. We act like the Cossacks of old -- cheerful, free-spirited, and rather combative.
Territory redistribution can occur on a personal level or in larger social contexts. As the Cossacks, under Bolshevik pressure, once relinquished the ways of their forefathers, so might we sometimes cave in to external influences.
In life sometimes we are defenders and sometimes attackers, but the focus of our effort is always to keep our territory inviolate
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Do we often reflect on who we are to our loved ones? To our colleagues and subordinates? To our neighbors?
Where are we in relation to our life’s mission? Are we on the right track or in need of a course adjustment?
Valery Pchelin claims that his Drifters are striving towards a single center that we are not aware of. They are like the debris from a wrecked ship that is programmed to rebuild itself. Or like parts of a dispersed community destined to come together again.
They teach us to move when moving is difficult. They give us hints on when to stop and keep a low profile, or when to switch on our built-in navigator to guide us forward.
Every Drifter is experience in condensed form. It signifies the moment when the past stops being a barrier -- that very border that is the root cause of self-sabotage.
The artist has invested his art objects with the experience of generations, cleansed of pain. The pinnacle of the Drifter series, Great Drifter, looks like an enormous seed capable of bearing bountiful and good fruit.
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Drifters
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Valery PchelinDRIFTER 05 • ДРИФТЕР 05, 2018Caucasian beech, black tinted, oil, wax.
Кавказский бук, чёрная тонировка, масло, воск90 x 55 x 25 cm
35 3/8 x 21 5/8 x 9 7/8 in
Weight: 19,2 kg€ 14,400.00 -
Valery PchelinDRIFTER 06 • ДРИФТЕР 06, 2018Oriental beech, black tinting, oil
Кавказский бук, черная тонировка, масло, воск42 x 23 x 26 cm
16 1/2 x 9 1/8 x 10 1/4 in
Weight: 4,6 kg€ 6,600.00 -
Valery PchelinDRIFTER 09 • ДРИФТЕР 09, 2018Oriental beech, black tinting, oil, wax
Кавказский бук, черная тонировка, масло, воск79 x 43 x 25 cm
31 1/8 x 16 7/8 x 9 7/8 in
Weight: 5.1 kg€ 8,400.00
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More about Valery Pchelin
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Line/block. Valery Pchelin
16 February - 9 March 2021 The Drifters, what are they -
Valery Pchelin. Cossacks
History of the people and family 16 February - 9 March 2021 Как история казачества и трагическая судьба деда привели Валерия Пчелина к созданию дрифтеров -
Valery Pchelin. Craftsmanship
16 February - 9 March 2021 Как Валерий Пчелин делает своих дрифтеров
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