Igor Burdonov
In my soul I am motionless, thick-skinned and malicious, covered with armour ,and with a huge beard .But life, like a game of solitaire, developed differently. Stalin died when I was 5 years old. When I was playing with the creation and destruction of sand castles I was meditating on whom I would become: philosopher, artist, poet, or scientist? So, as by nature I am boring, I chose mathematics because mathematics can draw precisely a trajectory of a fantasy’s flight and has the ability not to trust obvious things.
But, making a choice, we do nothing. Actually,we choose this and that, or neither. Being sentimental like an Englishman, I wrote verses. Being thoughtful like a German, I composed philosophical essays. Being free like the Chinese, I drew white chrysanthemums in black ink. Well, and so on…For now I bring to your attention a little”soul peel” of my still living soul. Perhaps, here you will see me? I don’t know why I didn’t send some of my pictures in watercolour or ink to this exhibition. I have saved them up in the hundreds, if not thousands.
Twenty years ago I wrote: ” It is almost impossible to paint an unpleasing picture in watercolour; paper, water and brushes refuse to do it”. And then there were a lot of negative words about computers: “The computer picture is too perfect, surpassing perfection; true art needs defect. The computer is too good a means, it doesn’t leave chance for mistakes; art is born from inconvenience and resistance. Art is a mistake. Spreading of watercolour on wet paper can’t be imitated, yet that which is possible is not art. Participation in creativity is impossible without distance between the creator and the others, and the Internet destroys distance.”
And next, it is called “predicted”, my latest hobby; pictures by Photoshop. As a specialist in software, I know that the computer is stupid, rough, deprived of intelligence: better not to mention soul. Well, here – that “inconvenience”, that “resistance” which are necessary for art. But I have the possibility of answering a ridiculous question, “Where is the original artwork?”. An ‘original’ artwork does not exist, or, if you wish, each print is the original. You should remember that, in 14 years, Malevich drew just 4 pictures, “Black Square” being one.