The New Yorker, July 11, 2005

Vitaly Komar

The Russian-born artist, half of the conceptual team Komar and Melamid, here proposes “Three-Day Week-end,” a quasi-serious plan for ecumenical harmony outlined in collages, mandala-like drawings, and stained-glass constructions. A repeating triangular structure designates Friday as the day of rest for Muslims, Saturday for Jews, and Sunday for Christians, with the whole long weekend open to those weary of sectarian violence. The charts are personalized with recurring pictures – segmented into kaleidoscopic fragments – juxtaposing a portrait of Komar’s father, mother, and six-year-old self with one of Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt at Yalta.