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Janitress

Location

Ukraine

Year

2020

Type

Mixed media painting

Materials

Canvas, acrylic, sculptural paste, cigarette butts

Janitress" is one of the most profound and evocative works in the series. It depicts a woman—a cleaner—meticulously picking up cigarette butts, her figure juxtaposed against the vast expanse of the urban landscape behind her. This simple yet deeply symbolic act is an unspoken narrative of labor, resilience, and quiet dignity.

The image resists singular interpretation, inviting viewers to find their own reflections within it. Is she merely a worker performing a mundane task, or does she embody something greater—an unsung guardian of order amidst chaos, an overlooked presence in a world that rarely acknowledges its caretakers?

There is something deeply human in her posture, her routine, her silent persistence. She might remind us of our mothers, grandmothers, or the invisible figures who shape our everyday reality. The city behind her looms large, indifferent and vast, yet she remains rooted in her duty, engaged in an act that may seem small but holds weight.

Beyond its literal meaning, Janitress resonates on a broader scale—it becomes a meditation on care, neglect, and the cyclical nature of human existence. It is about the unnoticed and the essential, about the way we interact with our surroundings, how we leave traces of ourselves behind, and how, inevitably, someone will come to clean up after us.

In this moment, captured in the work, the viewer is confronted with the act of seeing—seeing the ignored, the habitual, the everyday. And in that recognition, perhaps, lies the true power of Janitress.

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