Mikhail Baranovskiy - Inversion

Inversion is an ironic and unsettling work about a reversal of roles—when the object observes the subject, and a symbol begins to dominate the one who holds it.
Description
    1    Concept and Narrative
A man examines a fruit that looks back and appears to speak. This is not a surreal joke but a visual metaphor of inversion: the moment when an idea, tool, or desire starts setting the terms for its owner. The question of control remains deliberately unresolved.
    2    Meaning
The painting reflects on self-deception and delayed awareness—situations that were foreseeable long before their outcome, yet still allowed to unfold. Here, irony shows its teeth; humor turns into something sharper and less forgiving.
    3    Visual Language
The contrast between the dark background and the tactile, almost bodily surface heightens psychological tension. The fruit functions simultaneously as temptation, voice, and bite. The human gaze is cautious rather than dominant—alert, slightly defensive.
    4    Style and Technique
Figurative painting with elements of grotesque and philosophical irony. The focus lies on gesture, gaze, and material presence. The work operates not as illustration, but as a visual argument.
    5    For Collectors
Inversion is a self-contained, conversation-driven piece suited for private collections that value psychological depth and intellectual tension. It is a painting one returns to—not for answers, but to refine the question.