"Devil As People See It" Collage

I was born in 1962 in Moscow, Russia. For many years and I have lived and worked in Geneva, Switzerland; about 12 years ago – for family reasons – I moved to Amman, Jordan. My art is based on a simple principle: “Nothing is what it looks like”. So, I look at the photos, pictures, images, usually from magazines and newspapers, I turn them around, often upside down, and then I start seeing eyes, faces, new images, that were not their before... Then I cut the pictures into pieces, and put these pieces together, creating a completely new image. There is usually no plan in my work: I go with the material to where it takes me. And I am never disappointed... I don’t create out of nothing. I take something that has already existed, then turn it around and play with it. I’ve been doing that since I was a child. In the process I discovered that everything could be something else. So now, when I look around, I can see a lot of things I could never see before. What you see here has been mainly created in 2001-2003. It was a difficult time, full of uncertainties, frustrations and disappointments, so you could probably feel some of it in my work. I don't do collages anymore. There will be no more works like that. Ever. That series, that is exhibited at Saatchi now, is definitely over. But when something goes, it always gives space for something new that grows out of it. Likewise, my collages might “resurrect” one day, this time as an inspiration for some "real" paintings or drawings. I have been playing with the idea of re-creating them in acrylics, pastels or other techniques for a while. They may or may not resemble the "originals", who knows? So, grab one now. And stay tune for something new to come. Soon, hopefully.