Roman Minin - Escape into Egypt

The Biblical story of the Holy Family escaping to safety is now particularly relevant for Ukrainians who had been forced to leave their homes because of the war. It is now seen as a universal metaphor of the road, faith and hope for a homecoming.

The sculptural composition created by Roman Minin in 2019 has lost none of its prophetic notes since then. The sculpture looks like toys, a roly-poly doll and a rocking horse that stem from ancient Eastern amulets and signify resilience through all trials and tribulations. The rocking horse that spread across Europe in the 18th century as a training aid for future equestrians sets the rhythm and a balancing act: its rocking motions convey the cyclical nature of life. As to the roly-poly doll, it cannot be forced to lie flat, remaining unbeatable.

These toys’ simplicity encodes an unbreakable belief in the childish joy that helps us to recover after any fall and to keep affirming our unshakable equilibrium.