ROOT CENTER
Artist: Anton Vitkovskiy
Series: Visual Rituals
Style: Tribal Expressionism / Light Reflective Painting
Year: 2026
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 80 x 80 cm (31.4 x 31.4 inches)
Depth: 1.5 inches
"Root Center" is the eighth painting in the Visual Rituals series.
The title refers to a symbolic point of origin — a place where perception, memory, consciousness, and the living world intersect. Throughout nature, complex systems often emerge from simple centers. Trees grow from seeds, rivers from springs, organisms from cells, and cultures from shared symbols. This painting explores the idea that beneath the diversity of life there exists an underlying source from which countless forms emerge.
Inspired by prehistoric cave art, petroglyphs, ritual symbolism, and altered states of perception, the composition is organized around a circular structure resembling a portal, a sun, a cell, a seed, or a living mandala. Within this symbolic center appears a human figure whose body simultaneously resembles roots, branches, pathways, and flowing energy.
The circular form functions as a symbolic map of interconnected existence. Eyes, spirals, birds, human figures, celestial symbols, and branching root systems appear together within a unified visual field. Rather than existing as separate elements, they operate as parts of a larger living network that connects perception, nature, memory, and consciousness.
At the center of the composition stands a spiral, one of humanity's oldest and most enduring symbols. Found in prehistoric caves, petroglyphs, and sacred sites throughout the world, the spiral has long been associated with growth, transformation, cycles, movement, and the unfolding patterns of life. Here it functions as a symbolic source from which the surrounding imagery appears to emerge.
The figure within the circle acts as a bridge between above and below. Its raised arms connect with the realm of perception and vision represented by the eye above, while root-like forms extend downward into the hidden foundations of existence. The image suggests that human beings occupy a unique position within nature, participating simultaneously in both visible and invisible worlds.
Surrounding the central structure is an expansive network of branching forms resembling roots, rivers, neural pathways, lightning, fungal networks, and plant growth. These radiating patterns reinforce the idea that life is organized through connection rather than separation. The entire composition appears to pulse outward from a central source, echoing the ways energy, information, and life itself move through natural systems.
Rather than depicting a specific mythology, "Root Center" draws upon universal symbolic patterns that appear across cultures and throughout history. It reflects the recurring human intuition that beneath the complexity of existence there may be a shared center connecting all forms of life.
Created with layered mark-making, UV-reactive paints, glow-in-the-dark pigments, iridescent and metallic paints, the painting exists in multiple visual states. In ordinary light, under ultraviolet illumination, and in darkness, different layers of the composition emerge. Iridescent and metallic elements respond to movement, light, and viewing angle, creating an additional perceptual dimension that continuously alters the visual experience of the artwork.
When displayed with a programmed breathing UV light (sold separately), the artwork gradually shifts between states of visibility, causing symbols, forms, and colors to emerge and recede over time. This creates the sensation that the painting itself is breathing, transforming the work from a static image into a living visual experience.
"Root Center" continues the Visual Rituals series' exploration of consciousness, ritual, memory, and humanity's relationship with nature. It reflects the idea that every branch, every pathway, and every form may ultimately lead back to the same living source.
Materials
Acrylic paint, UV-reactive paints, glow-in-the-dark pigments, iridescent and metallic paints on canvas.
Artwork Details
• Original one-of-a-kind artwork
• Handmade by the artist
• Signed and dated on the reverse
• Created in Moscow, Russia in 2026
• Certificate of Authenticity included
• Professionally restretched and ready to hang upon arrival
Shipping
International shipping is available worldwide. Shipping costs vary depending on destination and will be calculated separately after purchase. Please contact the artist for an international shipping quote before placing an order.
This artwork is currently unstretched for storage and transportation purposes. Upon purchase, it will be professionally restretched before shipping.
Ships worldwide from Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA.
Free shipping within the United States.