Take Two Neighbours
Illawarra Mercury
Saturday March 24, 2007
Russian artist ARTHUR APANSKI and businessman PAUL MYJAVEC have bonded over their back fence in Coledale.
Arthur Apanski, 42I fled Belarus in 1997 at a time when dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka was totally destroying and dismantling any free media.Being an artist, it was hard for me to paint, there was no freedom of expression.People were beginning to disappear from the streets - journalists and politicians.You just can't live in a country where you wake up every morning and feel that you are nothing, that you must become part of a terrible system that is based on lies.There's a lot of depression in Belarus, a lot of unhappiness. You can see the anger in people when they walk down the street.So for me there was no choice; I had to flee to another country.In Australia I have a strong sensation of freedom and the people here are really soft inside, they're not coming at you like a tank and trying to smash you.In Belarus you never make friends with your neighbours, you barely speak to them, they're judgmental and you distrust them.So when Paul moved in next door two years ago, I couldn't believe how friendly he was. It was a surprise to me that people could be like that.I had sensed from our early conversations that he was from Europe. You can feel it in his roots, you can feel it inside him. He is a very generous person, he offered his tools straight away and he's always inviting us over for parties and meals.Paul is an executive director but it's his creative side that I find interesting. There's Paul the businessman who I probably will never understand and the Paul who is passionate about art.He's also taught me a lot about living.I've seen how he responds to different situations and I've observed his philosophy on life so he's helped me a lot.I'm a full-time artist so we're on very different financial levels. But he never shows me that he has more money.He's always very open and generous and he's a man who really values true friendship.For me this is unique. Not once in Belarus did I ever feel this warmth of friendship and I hope our relationship will last a long time.Paul Myjavec, 50I like the fact that in our street not everybody is the same. You wouldn't call it suburbia and that's why many people move here. It's what makes our life rich.Arthur's not your ordinary neighbour, he's a struggling artist and has a lot of baggage from his past, he's different and very interesting to talk to. I think we enjoy each other's company.We both come from the eastern bloc. I came to Australia when I was two and my parents went through a very similar oppressive regime. So when Arthur tells me what he's been through I can understand because I grew up surrounded by the same stories.We met as neighbours, chatting over the fence, small talk, sharing a cup of tea or a drink.Now we share meals and a glass of red and our families celebrate Christmas together.We don't live in each other's pockets, but we do see each other regularly.I've bought a couple of his smaller paintings, but a lot of his work is huge and it can take him up to eight months to finish just one painting.Can you imagine what that's worth - one man's life for eight months?His art is absolutely amazing and the detail is incredible.Everyone has a different way of looking at the world and Arthur's very deep and sensitive and you can see it in his art.You'll see politics and religion and some of his paintings have messages that are really in your face and that's incredible. It's heavy but it means something.Arthur never gets freaked out about too many things and neither do I.He's become more than a neighbour. He's enriched my life for sure and I definitely have a bit more of an appreciation for art now too.Arthur Apanski's stunning exhibition of 24 recent works is on display at Beach Art, 269 Lawrence Hargrave Dr, Thirroul, ph 4268 1007. Open Tues-Fri 9am-5pm, and Sat 9am-4pm
© 2007 Illawarra Mercury