I guess first input for a great vision was, that general nature and the universe, particularly animals, do have for me a greater importance than a humanlike figure for me could ever own. This is rooted in my deep believe in Animism and Shamanism and in my personal experiences with the modern life. Being a child of the World War 2 and a part of the baggage of the Red Army I had visit ones the Auschwitz-Concentration-Camp. How people can treat and determine or cut off other people's life, how same way the human race does continue in destroying the nature and how people have lost the respect for our relatives the animals - all this have stabilized my feeling, my thinking and what I express principal in my artworks. Means "Nature and Men" is my theme and not vice versa. For me no much relevance has what people have created, but a great one what nature and universe is telling me each day, each night.

Being also sure that even animals have a soul and own dreams, knowing the history of our relatives and how the human race treat them, all this were the input for my great vision and for my reasonable idea to create the "Monument for Animals" that nowhere exist. Simply to honour them, to make visible my wish for living further with and on them as my children should be able too, using their body whilst taking care for their soul - all this let me hang on such project. More thoughts of mine in this direction you can read in the articles "TALKING ABOUT MY ART AND THE SUBJECT TOO", "A Supplement for the Buryat T.V.-Interview in 1995" and in "About Shamanism and a little bit more".

Do we talk about expression and the technique of an artwork ? In comparison with other "landscape-art", such as for example of the Americans Christo and Jeanne- Claude did who have veil and thus rape whole landscapes, such would never be happen in my mind. Instead of doing so I sympathize more with the Korean "Yato- school-artists" who have made artistically arrangements in the nature by using what nature offers, without overwhelming her, to prise the nature's spirituality. Even Chinese or Japanese art is closer to my heart and expression than European or American art- style could be. Talking about words like spirit, mystic or size, I'm just impressed by the gigantic beautiful South American pictographic which were done long, long time ago at the tableland of Nazca, as well by other ancient rock art done where ever in this world.
About my art-style please visit the >gallery< of www.grey-wolf-guruev.com

However - with my aim to create in an international workshop the world's greatest natural artwork - Only one rock of the whole project, being later a gigantic monument for animals, could be ready for the "Guinness Book of Records" and a great supporter for the local tourism. By the way - the whole project, located in Mongolia, Buryatia and Tuva, could need the sight from a 'plane or even better from the window of a space lab. But this is not my first target. The main target is to honor our natural relatives.

About the title "The Calendar of Animals". The first monument shall symbolize one sheet of the "calendar", telling about the gone opulence of the wild relatives. The second rock could tell about the presence of animals. And the third shall carry the desire to have even in the future animals as companion; for our children and their children's children. Same times the whole work may symbolize a different interpretation of time. A time where the human being is less than a very small drop of universe and eternity. Such theme I have painted ones to create a great mural for the "Zoological Museum of Hamburg" in Germany.

Last but not least - If such project can be happen, a true unique monument could be an interesting meeting point for all those people which have an interest to help in the preservation of animals, so I guess. A creature that had exist long before the human race had started to rule the earth, that still allow the human race to exist on earth.

Willy-nilly nothing is to say more!

Grey Wolf Guruev Michail

(click to enlarge)