EN ETRE/Jeun Creation 70,  Galerie Thaddeus Ropac, Paris-Pantin 2020

DUST TO DUST
drawing series (coloured pencil on paper)
2014 - 2022

The series of drawings dust to dust connects several of Michail Michailovs works, which he realised in different forms and media and suits the important questions of life and existence the artist poses himself. He connects the issue of inner purity - as a condition to achieve perfection - with the external cleaning of his rooms and surrounding. So inner and outer cleansing are artistically rendered.
The series shows dust and dirt like in a nature study. In the beginning he just used the automatically appearing dust bunnies in his atelier/studio as model for this pictures, meanwhile he graphically transforms stains and spots out of his immediate surroundig such as bath or kitchen.
The process of drawing takes nearly as long as, or longer as the development of the dirt itself and therefore becomes sort of a mediative contemplaption contrasting the active awareness of the artist with the uncoscious developement of dirt and stains. This way this undesirable meaningless phenomenon/effect takes on a whole new significance. The unconscious gets into awareness, things unlikely to be seen become visible. The high level of drawing effort, which is necessary for this reproduction, playfully raises questions of meaning and value of man and art.
The drawings are presented as an installation within an especially created frame out of skirting boards and can be exhibited hanging on the wall as well as lying on the floor. Dust and dirt, very common to everybody but also repelling and easily overlooked, open up to new perspectives when displayed as a drawing. The aesthetics are only made clear by hanging them on the wall. Relating them to naturally developed dirtstains the spectator gets a new perception and another view on things. The handpainted microcosmos is supposed to provoke thought and enable new associations.