Boat for Maksym:
(ceramic, twine) Dimentions: WxLxH=2.5x1’x8’
Maksym Kryvtsov was a Ukrainian poet, photographer, and soldier. At the age of 33, Maksym was killed defending his country.
Small petal-shaped ceramic vessels, carrying the words and images from Maksym’s poems, form a constellation in the shape of a larger boat floating in space. In many mythologies, a boat was entrusted with ferrying the souls between different realms, as well as facilitating the transition.
Poems, in their own right, are akin to vessels that contain the sorrows and hopes of the author. Like barques on the sea, they carry experiences of a human soul, offering the reader a chance to cross the boundaries and enter the emotional reality of others. Maxym’s free-verse poems, direct and fearless, speak of the world that had been shattered. At the same time, they speak about humanity and convey messages of a kind and receptive heart. I built this boat to bring Maxym’s poems to the country he wanted to visit but never will.
