THE MIND PARASITES
Exhibition of Paintings by Olga Lomaka at Erarta Galleries, London
30th January – 5th February 2015
On January 29th, Erarta Galleries London in collaboration with FashionTV , interrnet community Russky London and media- resource Russian Art + Culture will be hosting a solo exhibition of paintings by a young British artist Olga Lomaka.
Olga’s conceptual cycle The Mind Parasites comprises twelve monumental paintings critically and methodically examining a whole range of issues affecting our globalised world. The body of work combines social critique with exploration of psychological and scientific ideas. The artist’s chief goal is to explore the possibilities of purging one’s conscious mind of various ‘viruses’ and negative programming which dehumanise population by subduing their will, destroying their personality and turning them into zombies.
What or who are these Mind Parasites exactly? Is it the viral character of today’s mass culture which clutters our brains. In one fell swoop, the artist provokes the avalanche of questions tumbling down upon the viewers’ heads, as they confront her paintings.
As Olga maintains, "the paintings should elicit visualisations of the viewer’s own thoughts." The artist attempts to establish links between the “parasite symbols” in human consciousness through feelings and emotions of the viewer. The author probes into the inner world of a person by means of allegorical images. There, a forest stands for the brain (consciousness), trees indicate thoughts and the protagonists act as symbols of "parasites" or "viruses".
In no lesser degree, the artist is fascinated with the ongoing research on human brain, its properties and the scope of its possibilities. Her project is also some kind of a laboratory experiment, where the artist experiments with the perceptions of the viewer, and the viewer continues to experiment with and examine one’s own mental states. Hers are psychological, visual and mental works propelling the viewers into an altered state of consciousness, leading them towards the insights and startling discoveries about themselves and the meaning of life. She believes that this is the best way to protest against mental and social ills afflicting the modern society, and through this to improve the existing order of things.
To master one’s own life with awareness, to understand oneself and the world events better, to enter into a profound dialogue with one’s own inner self, while striving to fulfil one’s highest creative ideas and aspirations (as it is for their sake that we came into the world), is the ultimate mission of the artist’s project.

