The project consists of two photographs creating a diptych. The title refers to our seemingly safe world in which we live, where we believe we have everything under control. At least, that's the impression we have. Our homes, our lives, are our little kingdoms where we reign as rulers. As the saying goes, 'my house is my fortress. This blissful ignorance, fueled by information from individually selected media sources, lulls us into deeper slumber, keeping us focused only on matters directly related to us.
The main inspiration for this project is the creation of the Doomsday Clock, established in 1947 by The Chicago Atomic Scientists and published in The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in response to the success of the Manhattan Project's development of atomic bombs.
Initially, this clock was set at 7 minutes to midnight - when midnight symbolically meant the end of humanity.
This year, 2023, the President of the UN Council began his inaugural speech by saying: "we have never been so close to the end - the doomsday clock now shows 90 seconds to midnight"...
Both parts of the diptych bear titles representing symbolic hours, a reference to the aforementioned clock's indications, as well as a warning of what lies ahead.
90 seconds before Midnight
The main motif of the painting is a woman sitting on a throne, taking a selfie with her phone. Her pose, corrective braces on her teeth, makeup, facial expressions - emphasize the joyful, blissful moment, the state of unawareness of threats. Above her, a painting hangs - her portrait, a formidable, strong ruler safeguarding the local kingdom from external influences. The background behind the figure is a painting by Bernardo Bellotto Canalletto - View of Wilanów, a district in the capital of Poland. Thanks to the works of this painter illustrating 18th century Warsaw, the old town, razed to the ground after World War II, was rebuilt - This serves as a symbolic reminder which we should remember in our everyday lives: nothing lasts forever.
Another notable detail is the presence of sleeping lions. In art, these animals were usually shown as watchful, with at least one eyelid open - always on guard. What will we think, what will we feel when we see that the lions in the painting simply have no eyes? On the left side, on the pedestal, there is a crystal ball - it is a Renaissance symbol of the universe, the causative force permeating the world. However, if we look closely at it, we can see that it is not full, so it is not crystal, but an empty glass ball. So is gods care just an illusion? A fly is walking on the glass ball - an announcement of upcoming, inevitable changes. There is a clock on the right, its hands bringing closer the moment of the inevitable. There is still time in this part of the diptych, time to get out of your comfort zone, time to save yourself.
2023, photography. Limited edition 8 + 2AP. Pigment print on the cotton Fine Art paper, 940×1850 mm ( without passepartout 740×1650 mm).
The Midnight
The same scene, the same perspective, midnight, the end of Our time. The final closure of the story - The history of all humanity.
2023, photography, limited edition 8 + 2AP. Pigment print on the cotton Fine Art paper, 940×1850 mm ( without passepartout 740×1650 mm).
