In 1996, having lost the opportunity to earn money in Ukraine, where he had gained his independence, he travels to Moscow
to find a way out in the Russian capital.
"The catalyst was the breakage of an old Soviet television set. The painful atmosphere of the outside world was softened at home among the people we love, watching classic Russian films and programmes about travelling around the world. But one day that window of light went out too. I was ashamed that I could not secure the purchase of a simple television for lack of money.
In Moscow I worked as a painter and tiler, bricklayer and plumber, dealt with the insulation of pipes. We didn't have a chance to wash for 45 days. And when all the clothes are covered with needles of insulating wool, it is a test of willpower. We slept on dirty sweatshirts. The money was given to us very late. My partner and I were often hungry. It got to the point that every other day we took turns fetching gravy with breadcrumbs from an empty jar given to us by local builders working on the site. The day the remains of a tin can were licked was a holiday
.Multisens ruled the depths of literature deeper and deeper at that moment. For at that time there were neither physical nor material resources for painting. I wrote poems and a novel about my life in Moscow. About gang shootings in a suburb, one of which I personally witnessed. About people on whom employers picked out Ukrainian passports and disappeared themselves. The workers were left without work and without the possibility to return home without papers. I wrote about Chechen criminal groups that controlled the centre of the Russian capital and sent their money from criminal activities to relatives to continue the war against the federal troops
.The novel was written in the style of multisens and is based on real documentary events and sensations that spontaneously flow into each other.
"In the winter of 1996, the artist broke his right arm in an accident, but had to continue working without medical assistance. Because the work was illegal. He says: " If we had gone to the hospital, we could have been discovered by the law enforcement agencies. At that time there was a Chechen war in Russia and illegals had to be very careful because of the constant checks on their passports. The broken hand I used to paint gave me the idea to paint with my foot. I put a pencil between my toes and drew a spontaneous portrait of a construction worker on a piece of cardboard box. This triggered a firework of emotions in the audience, as well as my surprise. I did not expect the result. But with the Multisens style you can experiment and not be afraid of making mistakes. It is inspiring
.I thought at that time that art gives extra power to a person, I realised that I can do more than I can imagine, It was the moment when the creative crisis was over. It was a moment to completely rethink your life. I had a depression that lasted six years. From that moment on, I started creating multisensory installations right at the workplace. A pile of bricks, in a certain lighting, could create an image of a figurative painting. Which was created from the shadow of a brick construction. Even from a rebar wire sticking out of a broken concrete slab, a man with wings could be assembled
.The Moscow period was the beginning of positive multisensing
.I accepted reality as it is and began to find not dust and dirt, discouragement and longing, but a reason to invent beauty in the here and now
.
I realised the value of life more than ever.
Bandit shooting and hunger taught me to appreciate birdsong and the smell of bread crumbs heated on the electric heater of the worker's wagon.
I saw how beautiful the snow was, on which a raven saw its blue shadow.
Moscow gave me the thirst to live more brightly. To grow fully, without bending. Moscow gave me faith in God. Because I had no other source of energy left. I believe that at that time I became a real artist. My wings have grown."