In the Small Courtyard of the museum, visitors are welcomed by a fantastic creature. This piece of art is supposed to be viewed from different angles. The first thing that a visitor sees is a monstrous creature showing its teeth and looking forward. However, by walking around the sculpture, one can discover that it is actually a human being, hidden behind the monster. This is one of Alexander Burganov’s mysterious sculptures, inviting visitors to think about the fluidity and inconsistency of life, and leading them into a world of fantasy and dreams.

The chimera is a monstrous mythological creature of divine origin that was first mentioned in the Iliad by Homer. The chimera breathed fire and was believed to be immortal. It had the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a snake. In ancient cultures, seeing a chimera was considered a bad omen, a sign of impending danger and deception.

Over time, the chimera became a symbol of everything chimeric — the impossible, incongruous, and false.

In the Middle Ages, sculptures of chimeras (also known as grotesques and gargoyles) were placed on Gothic cathedrals, embodying evil and vices.

The modern chimera created by the sculptor Alexander Nikolayevich Burganov differs significantly from its predecessors. While in classical art, it was depicted as a mythological creature with specific features, and in Gothic architecture it was represented by various monsters frozen in stone, Burganov’s chimera is a fantastic creature captured at the moment when it is transforming into something else. The flowing drapery above the monster’s head makes the figure resemble a human silhouette and creates an illusion of movement and instability. Burganov often incorporates this element into his sculptures, using drapery to convey different meanings such as movement, joy of living, and sorrow, or simply using it as a decorative element. In some cases, the drapery serves as a symbol of something mysterious and subconscious, hidden feelings and emotions.

Alexander Burganov’s “Chimera” is more than a fantastic creature that changes its appearance. It is a representation of secret passions, fears, contradictions, and chimeric ideas that live in the soul of each of us. They turn into nightmares and make people think about the flaws and contradictions of our world.