Context
Vladimir Abikh’s favorite phrase, one he never tires of repeating.
"The Main Thing Is Not to Repeat Yourself" is an ironic work where the phrase spins endlessly on a dynamic billboard, repeating over and over again.
This is not the first time the artist has used his recognizable slogan: it has already appeared on facades, fences, and signs in different cities. Over time, the phrase has become Abikh’s kind of tag — once you see these words, you immediately know who the author is.
This is not the first time the artist has used his recognizable slogan: it has already appeared on facades, fences, and signs in different cities. Over time, the phrase has become Abikh’s kind of tag — once you see these words, you immediately know who the author is.
By placing works on signs and advertising surfaces, artists appropriate spaces usually perceived as commercial, breaking the automatic way people read ads. The viewer, expecting another promotional slogan, instead encounters a statement and an image that sell nothing but the author’s idea.
In Abikh’s work, the textual form expresses the desire to remain true to oneself — to one’s own principles and ideas. At the same time, the meaning that emerges in a new context conveys the thought that avoiding repetition symbolizes the search for new ideas and approaches, encouraging the evolution of thinking and the development of creativity.
The paradox is that by repeating "The Main Thing Is Not to Repeat Yourself" in dozens of variations and contexts, Abikh turns this very contradiction into his artistic gesture.
In Abikh’s work, the textual form expresses the desire to remain true to oneself — to one’s own principles and ideas. At the same time, the meaning that emerges in a new context conveys the thought that avoiding repetition symbolizes the search for new ideas and approaches, encouraging the evolution of thinking and the development of creativity.
The paradox is that by repeating "The Main Thing Is Not to Repeat Yourself" in dozens of variations and contexts, Abikh turns this very contradiction into his artistic gesture.
"The Main Thing Is Not to Repeat Yourself" is an ironic work where the phrase spins endlessly on a dynamic billboard, repeating over and over again.
This is not the first time the artist has used his recognizable slogan: it has already appeared on facades, fences, and signs in different cities. Over time, the phrase has become Abikh’s kind of tag — once you see these words, you immediately know who the author is.
This is not the first time the artist has used his recognizable slogan: it has already appeared on facades, fences, and signs in different cities. Over time, the phrase has become Abikh’s kind of tag — once you see these words, you immediately know who the author is.
"The Main Thing Is Not to Repeat Yourself", Tyumen, 2019
"The Main Thing Is Not to Repeat Yourself", Paris, 2021
By placing works on signs and advertising surfaces, artists appropriate spaces usually perceived as commercial, breaking the automatic way people read ads. The viewer, expecting another promotional slogan, instead encounters a statement and an image that sell nothing but the author’s idea.
Timofey Radya, "The Truth of Life, the Deception of Death", Yekaterinburg, 2020
Timofey Radya, "The World of Skin and Fur and Bones", Yekaterinburg, 2020
Timofey Radya, "Empty Talks", St. Petersburg, 2016
Works by Grisha Sharov in Omsk, 2023
Works by Grisha Sharov in Omsk, 2023
In Abikh’s work, the textual form expresses the desire to remain true to oneself — to one’s own principles and ideas. At the same time, the meaning that emerges in a new context conveys the thought that avoiding repetition symbolizes the search for new ideas and approaches, encouraging the evolution of thinking and the development of creativity.
The paradox is that by repeating "The Main Thing Is Not to Repeat Yourself" in dozens of variations and contexts, Abikh turns this very contradiction into his artistic gesture.
The paradox is that by repeating "The Main Thing Is Not to Repeat Yourself" in dozens of variations and contexts, Abikh turns this very contradiction into his artistic gesture.
- Maria UshakovaCreative Producer of the projectIn 1913, Gertrude Stein wrote in her poem: "Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose". The permanent repetition of the same element breaks the fixed form of the phrase and invites reflection on its true meaning, allowing us to imagine it in the fullness of its imagery. The repetition of Abikh's phrase works in a similar way. It functions like an affirmation: the slogan "The main thing is not to repeat yourself" prompts us to reflect on the artist’s existence in the age of references and citations.
- Maria UshakovaCreative Producer of the projectIn 1913, Gertrude Stein wrote in her poem: "Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose". The permanent repetition of the same element breaks the fixed form of the phrase and invites reflection on its true meaning, allowing us to imagine it in the fullness of its imagery. The repetition of Abikh's phrase works in a similar way. It functions like an affirmation: the slogan "The main thing is not to repeat yourself" prompts us to reflect on the artist’s existence in the age of references and citations.
Process
Art form: work on a dynamic billboard
Style: conceptualism
Material: banner
Style: conceptualism
Material: banner
The work "The Main Thing Is Not to Repeat" was created on a dynamic billboard, with all the slots reserved for the phrase so that it would run continuously, turning into an endless stream.
The billboard functioned as a scroller: the words kept moving, replacing each other and then returning, creating an effect of constant repetition. Here, the artist both contradicts and confirms his own statement — by repeating the text dozens or even hundreds of times, he urges the viewer to search for new forms and not get stuck in the familiar. The dynamics of the medium amplify this play of meanings: the medium itself reproduces the phrase, which begins to resemble a mantra.
The billboard functioned as a scroller: the words kept moving, replacing each other and then returning, creating an effect of constant repetition. Here, the artist both contradicts and confirms his own statement — by repeating the text dozens or even hundreds of times, he urges the viewer to search for new forms and not get stuck in the familiar. The dynamics of the medium amplify this play of meanings: the medium itself reproduces the phrase, which begins to resemble a mantra.
For Abikh, this is not his first experience working with a tool that amplifies the effect of repetition. In 2016 in St. Petersburg, he created a video projection: a graffiti writer wrote the phrase "The Main Thing Is Not to Repeat Yourself", a municipal worker painted it over, and the cycle started again. This method directly refers to one of the core principles of street art — the eternal confrontation between the artist and the urban system, which also involves the practice of repetition.
The work "The Main Thing Is Not to Repeat" was created on a dynamic billboard, with all the slots reserved for the phrase so that it would run continuously, turning into an endless stream.
The billboard functioned as a scroller: the words kept moving, replacing each other and then returning, creating an effect of constant repetition. Here, the artist both contradicts and confirms his own statement — by repeating the text dozens or even hundreds of times, he urges the viewer to search for new forms and not get stuck in the familiar. The dynamics of the medium amplify this play of meanings: the medium itself reproduces the phrase, which begins to resemble a mantra.
The billboard functioned as a scroller: the words kept moving, replacing each other and then returning, creating an effect of constant repetition. Here, the artist both contradicts and confirms his own statement — by repeating the text dozens or even hundreds of times, he urges the viewer to search for new forms and not get stuck in the familiar. The dynamics of the medium amplify this play of meanings: the medium itself reproduces the phrase, which begins to resemble a mantra.
For Abikh, this is not his first experience working with a tool that amplifies the effect of repetition. In 2016 in St. Petersburg, he created a video projection: a graffiti writer wrote the phrase "The Main Thing Is Not to Repeat Yourself", a municipal worker painted it over, and the cycle started again. This method directly refers to one of the core principles of street art — the eternal confrontation between the artist and the urban system, which also involves the practice of repetition.
Author
- Vladimir Abikh (Yekaterinburg)Multidisciplinary artistVladimir’s practice combines video projections, street art, texts, aphorisms, and imagery rooted in Russian culture. He explores language and attention as key forms of human perception, turning urban spaces and emptiness into imprints of time. Through concise forms and text, he builds a dialogue with the viewer, stripping art of its sacred aura and returning it to everyday life.
"We Are Letters, With Us Comes Text", Tomsk, 2021
"Peace in the Distance", Montenegro, 2023
"Vandalism", St. Petersburg, 2020
Vladimir’s practice combines video projections, street art, texts, aphorisms, and imagery rooted in Russian culture. He explores language and attention as key forms of human perception, turning urban spaces and emptiness into imprints of time. Through concise forms and text, he builds a dialogue with the viewer, stripping art of its sacred aura and returning it to everyday life.
"We Are Letters, With Us Comes Text", Tomsk, 2021
"Peace in the Distance", Montenegro, 2023
"Vandalism", St. Petersburg, 2020
The billboard was created by
Vladimir Abikh
Artist
Kristina Onosova
Executive Producer
Aleksey Shakhov
Creative Producer
Grigory Kozlov
Technical Director
Maria Kochneva
Executive producer of the project
Maria Ushakova
Creative producer of the project
Polina Ej
Project Manager
Yulia Bulygina
Communications Manager
Ivan Fiev
Development Director
Lyubov Kabalinova
Photographer and Videographer
Roman Vlasov
Videographer