Volodymyr Naumets is a well-known Odesa artist and writer, painter, author of video art works, performances and actions, one of the first in Ukraine to use the compositions of glowing neon lamps in his installations. Born in Lviv in 1945. Soon his family moved to Odesa, where he graduated from the Odesa Art School. Then he studied at the Moscow Higher Art and Industrial School. He collaborated with groups of unofficial artists of Odesa and Moscow. Being a deeply religious person, he pays special attention to spirituality in modern art. His works are in museums and private collections of different countries. He lives and works in Cologne, Germany.

Volodymyr Naumets was one of the first to perform actionist art in Odesa. At the beginning of the “Sign on the Snow” action, Volodymyr Naumets sat on the snow under an umbrella, protecting himself from an invisible danger. He went out to the frozen snow to create a Sign on its surface in the form of simple and distinct lines, which should protect him from the disaster. The artist chose for this the letter omega – a symbol of the continuity, eternity and divinity of God. He drew this letter in the center of the area where the snow glistened in the light and lay down inside the Sign with his arms and legs spread. He no longer needs the umbrella he had held before. Therefore, he left it in the snow outside the Sign. Its function is to emphasize the contrast between the actual protection symbolized by the Sign and the formally temporary, no longer needed protection represented by the umbrella.

Using this contrast, the artist reflects on the concept of protection and its relation to faith and metaphysics. The act of creating a Sign in the snow turns into a ritual that elevates the everyday to the level of spiritual and artistic practice. Comparing and contrasting the Sign and the umbrella reminds us that the umbrella is made by other people, and the Sign Volodymyr makes himself. The right and opportunity to create a Sign that protects a person is a great reward for Naumets. The artist combined the material world with the spiritual, using seemingly simple things – an umbrella and snow – to create new symbolic space.