We live in interesting times. Changes towards the spiritual are evident in all walks of life. Quantum physicists and other experts in exact sciences are making amazing discoveries. The respectable Anglican church at St. James in Piccadilly Street in London organises weekly lectures about the esoteric; in the Transfiguration of Our Lord Orthodox Church in Tallinn, the 87-year-old Orthodox priest, father Immanuel Kirss, lectures on Sundays, talking about the reincarnation, his previous lives and God within you. Numerous American Indian camps, study days with wise men from Peru and collective meditations have been organised.
Changes of that kind find their way to the world of art and modern architecture only very slowly. The obstacle number one is naturally an enormous ego. We are thus fascinated with the Russian artist and designer Nikolay Polissky. Between 1975 and 1989 he belonged to the underground Russian group of artists called Collective Actions, whose spiritual leader was Andrei Monastyrski. Polisski has therefore always been keen on semiotic land art, installations, which stand close to conceptual primitivism (Henri Rousseau, Niko Pirosmani). He attracted fame by his complex of landmarks made out of natural materials in the Nikola-Lenivets village, where the villagers also took part. Together they made stupas and energy towers of fence poles, covered with plants and vegetables (such as eggplants and grapes), constructed spiral towers from hay; pagodas made of logs amaze with their energetic purity, monumentality and poetic aspect. Polissky seems like a Narodnik, who abandoned the urban intellectuals and settled in the country with simple people, where he undertook recreating something big and long forgotten. These works are archetypal, magical and possess a very warm energy. They bring together the energy of eternal geometrical images, constantly changing landscape and simple village people.
Nikolay Polissky. Firewood Tower.
Nikola-Lenivets, 2001.
Nikolay Polissky. Borders of the Empire.
Nikola-Lenivets, 2007.
I met Nikolay Polissky and his work for the first time in 2008 at the Venice Architecture Biennale, where his exhibition was displayed in the Russian pavilion. At that time, I had been researching the archetype of stupas and building energy towers for years. Seeing this strong and genuine Russian who obviously thought along the same lines, I was filled with a powerful positive charge. I realised that I was not alone and that I was on the right track. The wide reach of the Russian artist, the friendly atmosphere and spirituality emanating from these objects provided me with strength and inspiration to continue my mandala projects.
Nikolay Polissky. Lighthouse on the River Ugra.
Nikola-Lenivets, 2004.
Nikolay Polissky. Media Tower.
Nikola-Lenivets, 2002.
Nikolay Polissky. Heintest torn / Hay Tower. Nikola-Lenivets, 2000. Vaata / see also: www.polissky.ru/en
Nikolay Polissky. Lihhoborski värav. / Likhoborskie Gate. Moskva / Moscow, 2005.
