Polina Novikova

This sequence of drawings is a series from my sketchbook, which I treat like a diary: instead of writing texts though I draw and sketch. Hectic juxtapositions of texts/images/materials try to grasp the complexity/perplexity/chaos of thoughts stimulated by culture presented in books, films, music. The development of ideas for this particular sequence goes as:
1. Big Lebowski mood (in my understanding of the character) - after having seen and been through many adventures/circumstances nothing matters, it is time for chill;
2. The Grinch mood: the American Beauty quote (bottom left of the Big Heart page) is both touching and cheesy, Grinch sarcastically grins at the phrase, however deep down he is a big romantic, only hurt, so he actually knows that the phrase is great;
3. A quote from the Fleabag, which can be considered feminist. This collage of text and fan drawing/model is a start for my future interpretations of female characters through «decadence» imagery and exploration of female characters from real life.

Tales, legends, myths invented ever since and their relevance in later times including our days. I think these «ancient» tales store an incredible amount of global wisdom: peoples of different cultures and times answer similar if not the same questions of destiny, purpose, life and death, feelings. The global storage of folklore is a melting pot/a seemingly chaotic flow of characters/ mythical types/ scenarios that share comparable features across different parts of the world. Myths as a way to describe one’s surroundings and non-obvious reflections in the form of a metaphorical story, started in ancient times and they are now enriched with contemporary heroes, imagery.