Masha Trebukova

The arrival of Covid-19 in spring 2020 coincided with the publication of Masha Trebukova's book Anywhere Anytime (available at the gallery), a selection of figurative drawings on the subject of human suffering elsewhere in the world, on pages of 'glossy' magazines. Masha has elaborated the oppressive experiences that everyone has had since then as a result of the pandemic - the limitation of freedoms, isolation, fear of contamination, loneliness - with figurative drawings on newspapers.

Almost every day, Masha took a walk through the unusually quiet streets and along the deserted canals of Amsterdam's city center, as many of us did. She has recorded these walks in fast, but striking and carefully designed drawings on the newspaper of that day, thereby emphasizing the current affairs once again. In a special way, these images evoke both an oppressive and desolate atmosphere, but they also show a city of beauty and silence.

"On the one hand I saw empty quiet streets, evening light and green trees, the scenes where familiar places took on a new meaning. On the other hand I kept thinking about people who were practicing endlessly indoors and alone as a basis for their normal life and preservation."

In the summer it was possible to exercise on an individual basis, at home, outside, on the balconies, in the parks. Images that have stayed with Masha and that she has also recorded on newspapers. This created a drawing diary of the summer of 2020.

Fortunately, it now seems that life in the city is slowly but surely returning and streets and parks are being repopulated. In this online exhibition you will become acquainted with Masha's registration of this special time and many of the images will appear to be very familiar. Masha Trebukova herself writes about this episode:

"In the first corona summer, perpetual walking around the city was discovered, a new reality crept in. At home, many of us were training in front of a screen - moving was the way not to freeze in fear of the news.
These two themes are the subjects of my diary-like drawings on newsprint from summer 2020. Day in, day out. Step outside or stay in..."

Each drawing acrylic paint on newspaper, 41 x 57 cm
The drawings are for sale for € 1.200 each