13 cm * 30 cm * 20 cm;

Installation; photo frame, ultrasound photograph, egg, bandage.

"The deepest thing in life is skin." (Oscar Wilde)

When we are wounded, our first instinct is to heal the wounds in every possible way: to stop the bleeding, to repair the surface disturbance—cover it with a scab or skin, or even resort to external help—using a bandage or medical stitches…

The same goes for the psyche: when we are psychologically wounded, a person begins to exhaust themselves emotionally, their energy is spent to close this wound. Sometimes a person can cope with the "wound" on their own, and sometimes they resort to "bandages" and "stitches": they turn to psychotherapy.

I am an artist and a professional psychotherapist. In the process of work, it is I who act as that creator of "skin," prompting the client to form this protective layer, jointly building a defensive barrier against disruptions of integrity and closing those areas where metaphorically the client had vulnerability or a "wound."

In childhood, when a child is born, they come into the world without protective "skin," lacking stability to the impact of the external world, without immunity, without boundaries, completely defenseless and unable to survive independently.

Sometimes, in the process of growing up, it is not possible to develop this "skin," and sometimes—due to parental intervention. Some parents, due to their emotional wounds, may even hinder the child from closing their own, and through the children, compensate for that protective layer of "skin." Such situations risk leading the child to crises in adult life, stimulating us to strengthen this "skin" independently or in the therapist's office.

The formed metaphorical "skin" is simply necessary for a sense of integrity, self-identification, and understanding of personal values; without it, merging with the surrounding world is possible. If the "wound" is very deep, then there may be a loss of one's own identity and the meaning of life.