The picture refers to my practice of creating illustrative koans, conceptual traps, when "something is painted" and "something is written" - the text and the illustration, both minimal, relate to one another, inspire confidence (these very «hanging branches»), – but the general sense of what is happening is elusive. Even the mention of a specific country, which excites erudition, does not clarify anything. The viewer is only drawn into the game, where his conceptual efforts are tipped into a void over and over again – like the famous Zen Buddhist «one hand clapping».

Yuri Leiderman