Margo Sarkisova - Initiation
The flower-identity is a special concept of the artist. In the series, it was embodied in two symbols: the really existing flower "Royal Crown" and the fictional flower-mother of the culture.
The first is depicted with a large red flower in the work "Pain". The seeds of the "Royal Crown" were passed down from generation to generation by women of the Margo Sarkisova family.
Every spring it abounds in the garden, symbolizing, on the one hand, rebirth and a new round of life, and on the other - the continuity of family traditions.
The second symbol is a powerful flower, which occupies a central place in the work "Flower-identity." Like a great mother, she supports people in difficult life circumstances, when there is nothing left but to realize who you are. At the same time, it authoritarianly keeps its descendants in the circle of its own guidelines. The inner tension of this relationship is growing: mother culture is necessary for a person as a support, but the culture itself seems to have almost lost its own support.
The bare roots of the identity flower are a reminder that the Assyrians, as representatives of a country that disappeared many hundreds of years ago, have no land of their own, no place to return, and no place to call their own.
“Initiation" is a graphic series of six large artworks that rethink the inner cultural fragmentation of the artist.
This series is the “heart” of the “6769” project. Each work is an episode from the myth about a hero who defends his path from naive and timid patience to independence, gaining his own support.
The structure of the myth:
I. Naiveness
ІІ. Apple tree
III. Pain
IV. Flower-identity
V. Ouroboros
VI. Gardener
The series opens with a scene where naive "blindness" and strong knots of family beliefs slowly weaken the hero. Only the crisis, the way to the painful crossroads of "reconcile / fight", gives the hero the opportunity to look at his life with open eyes and heart. When the choice is made, the price for it is mourning for a world where it will never be the same again. Sad and disturbing memories of family and the shaky life of a culture that tries to find a place to live, fill with pain, but also strength: a person holds his roots to not to lose resistance. Understanding this does not give the hero the right to just go, forget everything. Ouroboros as a symbol of eternity reminds the hero - what is not reborn, inevitably dies. What can save from complete oblivion, give a new round?
The last scene in the series is a possible answer: it is time for a new generation with a mentality of gardeners. Those who cultivate viable cultural traits care about the necessary conditions and rely on people and time.