Canvas/oils, romantic hyperrealism. Dimensions: 100/260 (3 panels), 2021. The Gem of Sands is an allegory giving a gentle hint of breathtaking Dubai right in the heart of the Arabian Desert — an amazing site to hold World Art Dubai 2024. At the same time, the Gem means a pearl having a unique way of shaping to become a marvelous precious stone. And Dubai is like a pearl — it is a unique city born in sandy desert sea to become a dream for millions of people willing to visit Dubai and feel a mind-blowing beauty and majesty of this city. This triptych is not casual, it is a metaphoric image of the past, present, and future of the civilization. When you look at the triptych you simultaneously feel smooth and rapid lapse of time which is illustrated by light. A story in the triptych virtually depicts a spiral development of human civilization when every new turn reiterates the previous one, but on a higher level, so as mankind moving up the spiral staircase thereby achieving new heights. A kind of spiral is meant by going round in circles vehicles that are typical for various stages of development of our civilization. The triptych narrates of the technological advance, but it is not the only feature of the mankind. Now and always people keep up their traditions and hand them down through thousand of years from generation to generation. And this affection towards ancestor traditions helps us remain human despite of such an onrush of technology. It’s XXI century, it’s a wonderful time. We keep in mind everything we have today, and we are grateful for everything created before us. We, the people of the present, guided by experience and wisdom of the past, will move on and create the future for the next generations.