Reading Guardians of Gold: The Griffins Who Guard the Gold (Стерегущие золото грифы), I felt an immediate connection to its story of the Altai Princess—a mysterious figure preserved in ice—and to the land where her legend was born. The Altai is where I was born too, and its rich history and landscapes have always been a profound source of inspiration for me.
The book tells of a world where every mountain, river, and forest is alive with spirit, where legends and life are inseparable. It made me think about how stories from the past can spark creativity today. The Altai Princess, the artifacts of the Pazyryk culture, and the nomads’ songs are not just relics—they’re threads waiting to be woven into something new.
This is how I approach my art. I draw from history, myths, and ancient symbols, but I don’t simply replicate them. Instead, I reinterpret them, layering materials and ideas to create something that resonates with the present. Like the book transforms old tales into vivid new narratives, my work combines fragments of the past—burlap, old paintings, and discarded pieces—into fresh stories.
The Altai teaches me that inspiration is not about preserving the past as it was but about weaving it into the present, giving it new life and meaning. Just as the book reimagines the legend of the Altai Princess, my art is a way of breathing new energy into old stories, showing how history and mythology can still speak to us today. It’s a reminder that the stories of the past are not endings—they are beginnings, inviting us to create something new.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pazyryk_culture