ONEIRIC (from the Greek όνειρο - sleep, dream) is a term used in film theory. Narrowly, it can refer to dreams that form part of a film's plot, or more broadly to the idea that cinema itself is an oneiric image.

In movies, scenes depicting dreams are often desaturated to distinguish them from the general visual style. In my works from this series, I also refused to use the rich colour palette inherent in my painting. Almost monochrome ascetic colouring makes it possible to create a feeling of immersion of the figures in a deep indistinct space with unrevealed physical parameters.

Like a dream, the cinematic image offers not a real presence, but that of a "twin". Therefore, in many works from this series, I use the image of a mirror or a window as a metaphor for the screen, with the characters of the paintings on both sides.

Working on this series, I thought about the unique experience, after a deep sleep, when you wake up with the inexplicable feeling that the meaning of what you see is slipping through your fingers. This feeling of shaky reality and helplessness in the face of the event, which resists any attempts at interpretation often accompanies the moment between sleeping and waking.

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Maria Kostareva