Alexander Kupalyan

About the Mural

"Dandelions" Mural 

The design is based on a drawing by artist Kostya Kokorin, who has cerebral palsy. He created this watercolor painting back in 2010, and it is now held in a private collection in the United States. 

The dandelion is the symbol of the Vera Hospice Charity Fund. It represents the fragility and beauty of life, and illustrates how seriously ill people are as vulnerable as this flower: one never knows when the final gust of wind will come. But together, we can give patients a life free from pain, fear, and loneliness for all their remaining days. 

The original drawing was created by artist Kostya Kokorin, who has a severe form of cerebral palsy. He cannot walk or speak, but he loves to read and draw. He finds joy in simply living. Thanks to the Vera Fund, which supports hospices, his mother has finally stopped fearing for her son's life and has felt that they are not alone in this world. The true meaning of the fund's work is embodied in such real-life stories. This is the very essence of the philosophy of palliative care: life must be cherished, no matter how much of it remains.

 
Artist Alexander Kupalyan is a Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Arts, a professor at the Surikov Moscow State Academic Art Institute, a set designer for the Et Cetera Theatre, Helikon-Opera, and the Mikhailovsky Theatre (St. Petersburg), and a resident of the VS unio art gallery. In his work, he addresses timeless themes etched in our historical memory. Similarly, for this festival, he has created a mural dedicated to the AIDS.CENTER Foundation and the fight against HIV.