"1=1"

001

Canvas on stretcher, 60х50 сm (19.7”x23.6”)

Oil

Arithmism

Kyiv, 2011.

Stating equality of two "figures of one" like "1=1" is probably the most simple mathematical expression possible. Many corroborations and demonstrations of many theorems are led down to this very equation – just because of its irrefutable likelihood and obviousness which requires no further deduction. But what is apparent and has no need of proof in the world of numbers, can be unobvious, disputable and generally difficult to understand in the world of things.

“Perfect units”, just as well as “nonviscous liquids”, are not found in real world. Every unit of anything, being given close enough consideration, turns out to be somewhat different from supposedly “the same” unit of this very something. Even at the epoch of standardized mass production we can see how “sameness” of standard units fade if more accurate measurements are applied and more strict fault-finding approaches are used. Needless to say that every individual object and phenomenon of natural world, every one of a kind, is unique and unmatched, and not equal to any other one.

However, connumerating objects, human mind disengages itself from qualitative uniqueness and ascends to typical repeatability of “same enough” units. First step in this direction and starting point for any count is setting a value of “1” and assuming that this particular one “1” is equal to another “1”.

A man and a woman. Two ones of human kind. Every one of them is accompanied by one streetlamp, one sidewalk, one house, one window, shining in the dark. And despite well-known fact that full moon in the skies should be only one, we see two moons. One moon per each of them. It is all because the moon seems cold-yellowish to him, even with a slight shade of green. And at the same time this very moon seems cold-pinkish to her, even with a shade of purple. Every one of these “human units” perceives the world and singular objects his/her own way, seeing it all in very individual spectrum of shades and colors. And not only in colors.

This is how capricious combination of lemon-green and purple-violet tones comes to life in elfish night mist, illuminated by two moons. Equality of two ones…