My painting is a declaration of love to all political prisoners in Russia and other countries.

To those who dared to join the fight and sacrificed themselves for the sake of others.

To those who embody the eternal mythological narrative, maintaining the sacred fire of human freedom.

The idea for this painting came from my interest in ancient culture and classical style on one hand, and as an emotional response to events happening in Russia since 2022 on the other. After the mobilization announcement, a wave of arson attacks on military enlistment offices swept across the country. Most of the arsonists received very harsh sentences. The idea of the Prometheus myth came to me almost fully formed. I just needed to find a suitable background, which ended up being the gates of Anichkov Palace in St. Petersburg. The large eagles on the columns and the double-headed eagle on the gate fit perfectly into my storyline. Additionally, this location is across the street from Gostiny Dvor, the city's, and sometimes even the country's main protest site. I made several sketches of individual details and the composition at this spot.

After finishing the painting, I tried to contact independent galleries in St. Petersburg, but understandably, no one dared to exhibit it. Ironically, one of the exhibitions where it was initially supposed to be shown, but the organizers were afraid to take it, was called FREEDOM. When I saw the open call from ARR, I almost immediately bought a return ticket to Russia, where the painting was stored at the time. Transporting it was very difficult, almost impossible. After several flights through third countries, the painting arrived in the Netherlands and spent 8 days in customs. It was handed over to the organizers just a day before the opening, and they exhibited it in the gallery at the After Shock exhibition.