Spirits of Art

“Spirits of Art” — the debut solo exhibition of a Ukrainian-Russian artist.
The exhibition showcases 12 paintings created in a variety of styles — from Renaissance to Pop Art. This series of portraits pays homage to great masters, recreated in their signature styles but with acrylic as the modern medium of choice. Skulls symbolize the inevitability of death, while the characters portrayed are artists who are no longer among us. Yet, through the artist’s hands, it’s as though they’ve returned to the canvas, ensuring their legacy endures. “Flesh will perish, art persists forever.”

Each of the 12 paintings represents a master corresponding to the month of their birth, forming a kind of calendar: a repeating cycle of life, the inevitable end of the year, and the beginning of a new one. In this way, the works explore the theme of existence as an infinite continuum. Behind each figure looms a mysterious portal, hinting at their return from another realm. We see them anew, cloaked in a touch of Gothic mysticism. The eternal themes of life and death remain just as relevant today. This exhibition reminds us that even the greatest eventually depart, yet their legacy lives on, inspiring generations to come.

About the Artist Pasha Alef was born in Germany, spent his childhood and youth in Odessa, where he graduated from the Fine Arts and Graphic Design Department at K. D. Ushinsky University. He then spent nearly a decade living in Moscow and has been creating in Georgia for the past two years, where this series was brought to life.