"We think we're relating to other people, but actually we're all playing games." - Eric Berne
Eric Berne developed a structural description of the layers of the human soul and called them: child, adult, parent. In contacting other people, man unconsciously takes these three roles and switches between them from time to time.
Chess or Chaturanga as it is known in its birthplace – India – awakens childhood memories in me; the days when me and my father would sit on a carpet and play this war game. In this painting, a stalemate of white by black in twelve moves is depicted, whereby all pieces remain on the board. An intellectual power struggle ending with no victims or bloodshed.
Chinese Checkers/Anima and Animus – Anima and Animus are archetypes directly influencing our lives. An upwards facing triangle symbolizes Anima – the feminine archetype in the male subconscious – and a downwards facing triangle represents Animus – the masculine archetype present in the female subconscious. According to Jung, we are born with both Anima and Animus - that is to say bisexual - and that our sexual tendencies are determined and continue to develop throughout our lives.
The Card Game – This chinese game plays a large part in my life, as this is the game which connects me to my mother, who I grew up and played cards with. In the house of cards I’ve built there is room for everyone. For men and women of different sexual tendencies, everyone is accepted and welcome in my house.
Roulette – Through a drawing of a roulette wheel I illustrate my love for Dostoevsky, identification with Russian culture, and the “Russian soul” as described by him. As a well-known gambling addict and womanizer, Dostoevsky personally relates these aspects of his life in the novel The Gambler.
Matryoshka 15 – The Matryoshka – known in English as a “Russian Doll” or in Hebrew as a “Babushka” – is a famous traditional symbol of Russia. The word “matryoshka” derives from the Latin word “Mater”, and signifies life – a mother gives life to her daughter, the daughter gives life to a granddaughter, and so on. Despite this, its true origins lie in Japan. Originally a cultic idol of the deity Fukurokuju – The God of Wealth, Happiness, and Longevity.
In this painting, a matryoshka is divided into a 15 puzzle, with a female body being divided into pieces which transform into a commodity, like raw meat. Is a woman just a body? What does it mean to be a Russian woman in Israel? Will every Russian woman receive the label “Russian whore”?