Encoded Waters
dyptique, 2025 

My hometown stands on the banks of the Dnipro. Its waters have always been with me: I saw them daily — while passing by, while driving past, or when finding peace in moments of relaxation.
The Dnipro is not just a river to me. It is a part of my being, an inexhaustible source of energy, and my wise teacher.

In Daoist philosophy, the Dao (the Way) is often compared to a river that flows naturally, bypassing and overcoming obstacles without resistance. One of its key principles is: “Be like water.” Laozi wrote: “Water is the softest and weakest thing in the world, yet in overcoming the hard and strong, it is unsurpassed. Nothing can match it.”

The Dnipro embodies this wisdom: it does not destroy, but flows around; it does not resist, but keeps moving forward. Therein lies an important lesson — to pass through difficult moments in life without unnecessary resistance, maintaining inner flexibility and calm.

In the piece The Way, both technical data about the Dnipro — its length, depth, current — and my personal measurements of experience are encoded. The number of days I spent away from the river. The number of steps I walked along its embankment. The date of my first kayaking trip. The number of days I saw the Dnipro every morning and evening on my way to school.
Here, the numbers are not dry data, but symbols of my personal stories and connection with the river.

The artwork The River is my confession of love for the Dnipro as a living source of strength and support.
The painting The Way speaks of the philosophy the Dnipro reveals to me — lessons of flexibility, patience, and persistent forward motion.
These works are a dialogue with the river, which continues to echo within me, across space and time.