Original artwork / Common Ground

The ordinary disputes once experienced in small villages are often miniature reflections of larger conflicts throughout human history. A quarrel between two siblings that begins at the boundary of the same piece of land can become a metaphor for the endless struggles between societies, states, and civilizations.

In the sculpture, two figures confront one another directly at a boundary line. Wheat grows in the field belonging to the figure on the right, while corn grows in the field belonging to the figure on the left. Both figures defend their own fields against the other, while at the same time looking toward what the other possesses. The conflict is therefore driven not only by the desire to protect what one has, but also by the desire for what belongs to someone else.

This small quarrel between siblings becomes a symbol of a much broader conflict. The two figures represent the historical tension between East and West. The boundary between them is not merely a line separating two fields; it also represents the invisible boundaries that divide different cultures, economic systems, spheres of power, and worldviews.

While defending his own land, each person casts his gaze toward the land of the other. The conflict is therefore driven not only by fear, but also by the desire to possess and dominate. As the siblings struggle against one another, they forget that they are ultimately parts of the same land and the same world.

The geometricized bodies and emotionally detached faces of the figures suggest that this conflict has lost its human quality. In defending its own interests, humanity gradually transforms into a system, a mechanism, and ultimately a robotic being seeking to exercise power over others.

The quarrel that begins at the boundary of a small field continues along the borders of the world.