Liminal Being

This tiny wooden coffin, dated 1875, holds the remains of a coal miner’s companion, a canary named “Little Joe.” Inscription reads, “In Memory of Little Joe, Died November 3rd, 1875.”

Back in the 19th century, canaries were more than just songbirds, they were early warning systems for deadly gases like carbon monoxide in coal mines. Their delicate respiratory systems meant they’d show signs of distress before the gas affected humans. If the canary grew ill or died, miners knew to evacuate immediately.

The practice was especially widespread in the United Kingdom during the Industrial Revolution, when coal mining powered nations, but at grave risks to workers.

Norman Lindsay (1879–1969), “Don Juan in Hell,” 2nd edition

etching, engraving & drypoint on paper, 1918

Last year I met the wonderful St. Petersburg artist Maxim Korolkov. It was at the Cube.Moscow exhibition center on Tverskaya, where the artist's exhibition was taking place.

I am pleased to present Maxim's new work - "Help Me", 2025 (85 x 140, canvas, tempera, texture paste with sand).

This is a painting from the "Famous Sand Coat" series, which the artist also calls a painting series about an old woman in a sand coat. The heroine of the paintings is the artist's grandmother Munira Umyarovna Yenikeeva, born in 1936, who lived all 900 days in besieged Leningrad.

I am delighted with the painting.

P.S. I would write a long essay about it, but I think people should just look at it for themselves first. And then there will be more than one essay from many connoisseurs.

There is nothing There is nothing There is nothing Then there is something For a brief moment Then there is nothing again

Sergey Palche

Untitled, 2025

39 ³/₈ x 27 ⁹/₁₆ inches (100 x 70 cm)