The Syntax Gallery is pleased to present a new project by Valery Chtak – I've Already Told That – that introduces a new series of paintings.

Count Sh. was in the habit of correcting everyone around him, claiming they mispronounced or misunderstood some words entirely. Naturally, this had no desired effect as it only annoyed those he criticised. That habit of his persisted for years, and eventually became his only quality. Or rather, it was the quality people usually described him by. After all, he did possess a lot of other qualities, most of them positive.
Count Sh. spent most of his time coming up with phrases. For example:
'Therefore, or rather, in this regard, the artist is running out of expressive devices.'
or
'Countess, I have no money.'
or
'It was true, to an extent.'
Many people realised that he had an interest in some kind of nonsense, but his academic authority forced sceptics to express their doubts sotto voce. The count collated these phrases of his into awkward verses, which he never showed to a living soul. Once I came across them by accident, but that maybe just seemed to me. And likely so it was. Or maybe not.

Vera Yablochkova