Frieden / Healed Frieden

"Healed Frieden" is a photography project based on an original sculpture work by the artist Eufrosina Sabiescu. The sculpture "Frieden" (German for "Peace") was created for an art auction held in Albertina Museum, Vienna, in the context of the ongoing Ukrainian war and directly inspired by it. A symbol of hope and purity, the dove extends its wings, graceful and serene. Its round and dynamic shapes seem immortalized in time and its flight - a soundless one, is devoid of the sounds and atrocities of war. There are no cries, only blissful silence. This instantané-like representation of the peace dove with its capacity to capture a moment in time, has served as an inspiration for the development of the "Healed" project.
The artist presents her photographs as a series of digitally altered variations of a single image taken of the sculpture. Thus the base image remains the same and only one singular digital brush is used to manipulate it. Here the movement of the hand becomes part of the artwork, touching on the borders of performance art and gives its distinctive dynamism and composition. In one swift motion and unique gesture to each photography Eufrosina Sabiescu uses the "Healing Brush" to destruct the form of the represented sculpture. Intended to have a beneficial effect, the digital tool manifests itself in opposition with its desired outcome, by actively destroying the object and annulling its existence. The protagonist becomes the antagonist and the resulted visual is one of explosion, an act of aggression that sends shattered fragments into distance and envelops the broken pieces in clouds of smoke. Brilliantly conveyed through these works, the meaning reverberates in its metaphorical nuances and reveals the sad irony of wars carried on in the name of righteous purposes. Justifiable through the eyes of the aggressor, such conflict is born with the intent of cleansing a place, of “healing” a land from a supposed wrong. But never do such actions result in anything but destruction and irremediable loss. The “healing” becomes “hurting” and Eufrosina Sabiescu’s works are a testament of the harsh inescapability of this reality.
Exhibited in an initial setting of 6 photographs, the project is set to be further developed with new additions to the series and explorations of light play in different formats. It is intended to serve as a cry against the shattered peace in the Ukraine and to bring awareness against the atrocities of war.