The Tale of Igor's Campaign

In 1185 Prince Igor rode against the Polovtsians, was captured and escaped. Out of that failed campaign grew the central text of Russian letters: the "Tale" survived the fire of 1812 only in a copy and still argues with its reader in every line. There are almost no figures in it — there is the field, the steppe, feather grass, ravens, banners, and one voice mourning the host before it has fallen.

The series follows the text rather than the plot. A red field with white arrows of feather grass — the steppe after the battle. Black domes over a red horizon — the Russian land "already beyond the hill". A white rider — Igor escaping captivity. The round works are like a shield after the fight: scratches, marks of blows, red lacquer. There is no battle in any piece, yet every piece is about it.

The red is laid in layers with a transparent depth; a drawing is scratched into it and the grass painted white over it. The domes are matte black relief; the rider and the banners carry gold leaf. Over it, epoxy resin, which makes the red heavy as lacquer on a shield. The edition is numbered.

A series for a study, a library, a meeting room — for places where words are valued. A red field holds a large wall alone, without neighbours.